The Wings of Love Part 27 of the Series
by Justright
Summary: Phoebe and Piper's idea of a magic free vacation turns into a weird adventure for all of them . . . Story Ended
1. Default Chapter

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The Wings of Love

"Hey, sleepy head!"

Phoebe barely moved, and Cole smiled, amused.

"Come on Phoebe, it is late already…"

"Oh, can't I just get a little more time in bed?"

"I wouldn't mind," Cole answered, while pulling her to him, "I certainly wouldn't mind at all."

Phoebe smiled even with her eyes closed, as she cuddled closer.

"But of course, I promised to Piper…" She said reluctantly.

Cole sighed while caressing her hair, then her shoulders suggestively.

"Can't she just have Paige go with her, this time?"

"Cole…I promised. Besides, I know that she is a little nervous and she trusts that I somehow have experience now…"

"Why don't you call ahead? Leo might be back."

"It does not matter. She said that he already left her twice during a prenatal class because of the Elders."

"Well then, I guess that you have to go," he whispered softly, while kissing her neck.

"Oh, you're not fair," she replied, but still smiling. 

"Who's not fair," he asked, as candidly as he could, but while pushing her shoulder strap aside. 

He started down her shoulders, depositing little kisses that only teased her more, and she sighed contentedly against her best intentions.

"Oh," she whispered under her quickening breath, "I am sure that I have some time…"

She then pulled him to her, already parting her lips and forgetting altogether about her promise.

Their kiss deepened, as she began responding in kind to his ever more demanding caresses… However, just then, the baby's cries brought them out of the moment rudely.

Phoebe still tried, while letting her hands slide languorously on his back:

"Let Paige do it…"

Cole pulled away with a grimace and a sigh…

"Hum, I forgot, she is already at work…"

"Oh… Well, I guess that I should be getting dressed then…"

Cole gave her a long look, and then turned away reluctantly. Before going out the door, he added:

"You know, I love our son, but sometimes…"

"Cole!"

"Oh, alright, you know that's not what I mean…" 

In fact, Phoebe knew exactly what he meant, as she watched him going out of the room.

She looked at the door for a long moment, wondering about this. It was true that lately, their moments alone had been scarce. 

With all that happened, and the comings and goings in the house, they were overdue for a vacation. She was still considering it, as she got up and dressed up quickly. 

"You are supposed to breathe deeply, then relax Piper…You are so tense, one would think that your time has come!"

Piper turned to her sister with an annoyed expression.

"How am I supposed to feel? I am seven months pregnant and my husband is constantly off god knows where. He has not even been able to attend one complete session yet…"

Phoebe frowned:

"I thought that you said you understood?"

"I may understand, but that does not mean that I have to like it. The way things are going, he will be with another charge when this baby is born…"

Phoebe could sense the bitterness in her voice. She knew the feeling too well. At about the same time during her own pregnancy, she had feared more than once that Cole would not be there at all for them. However, she could sense that there was something more to it.

"Are you sure that it is his absences that are making you this upset? After all, he has been doing this since we've known him, it is nothing new…"

Piper was trying, yet again, to get her breathing right and she gave up with a sigh, turning to Phoebe.

She was about to snap at her, without really knowing why, then she thought better of it.

"I don't know. I think that those hormones are playing tricks on me. I…"

"What," Phoebe questioned, suddenly alerted by her vague attitude.

"Well…It seems to me that Leo has been more distant in the last week…"

Phoebe smiled reassuringly.

"Oh come on, Piper. Leo loves you. This is not going to change…"

"I know," Piper uttered, although hesitantly. "But still, I feel like something is on his mind. And ever since he lied about Cole, I cannot be sure that he is not hiding something else…"

Phoebe frowned but continued affectionately:

"Ok yes, he did lie, but it was for a good cause. I accepted what Cole did already, you should really forgive him for this little thing."

"I did forgive him…"

"Maybe, he is not sure of that?"

Piper shrugged, and her eyes fell on a few other couples, who were still practicing their breathing, or just smiling at each other. They looked so happy, and normal. That brought a thought to Piper. "Normal, that is it, I long for normal again."

"What?" Phoebe questioned her out of turn comment.

"I mean look at them. They have no magic in their lives, only normal problems. No orbing, or demons, or fighting evil in all the senses of the word. Maybe that is just what we need? A vacation from magic?"

Phoebe was about to answer that they could not really take a vacation from themselves, but she suddenly reflected that Piper might have a point. In fact, it reached some of her own thoughts of the morning, at least about the vacation.

"You know," she began slowly, "this might not be such a bad idea."

"Oh Phoebe, I was just dreaming here…I know that we cannot change what we or what our husbands are…"

"Yes, but we could…pretend for a while…"

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

"Well, this morning, I was just thinking that we needed some kind of vacation, Cole and me. But maybe, we only need a change of décor?"

"Hum. You think so? And what about that vacation from magic thing."

Phoebe saw that she had picked her interest there.

"The source is dead. The other demons are rather quiet. What if for once, we all went on a real vacation, the old fashion way…"

Piper smiled skeptically:

"The old fashion way?"

Phoebe was about to explain but she caught sight of the instructor looking toward them irritably.

"Oh," she whispered, "I think that we should concentrate on your lesson. Let's talk about it later…" 

When Piper looked at her questioningly, Phoebe nodded vigorously toward the instructor and Piper understood, going back to the lesson.

"You want what," Cole exclaimed.

"I want to go on a vacation without magic, none whatsoever…"

They had all gone to the manor, after Cole collected them from the prenatal class, and he had sensed all the way there that she had something in mind, but she would not say. He had not expected this, however. Frowning, he continued:

"You really want to go on a vacation while we have no idea what is going to come our way? And what's this thing about no magic?"

"Just what I said," Phoebe continued, " I want us to go on a vacation like any other people would. No orbing, not flashing, no using magic for anything. It is not like we cannot afford it."

"But…"

Piper intervened:

"I think that this is a great idea. Magic only brought us trouble until now, and it causes all kinds of tensions," she added, thinking of Leo.

"And where exactly are we supposed to be going," Cole questioned, with obvious annoyance. 

Phoebe stared at him in surprise. She had not expected him to be that reticent.

"Why does it bother you so much?"

Cole answered quickly:

"I did not say that it bothered me…"

"You did not have to…"

Rather than answering this, he shrugged and tried to sound less annoyed when he questioned again:

"Where are we supposed to go?"

Phoebe frowned, but answered nevertheless:

"I was thinking of a trip to Europe actually."

"Europe? Why not a tropical Island? It is the middle of winter after all. I thought that it was the usual vacation spot."

Piper answered this one:

"Well, we don't have to do everything other people do, and we really wanted to go back there. The last time was pleasant enough, in spite of the ghost business… However, we did not have nearly enough time to enjoy it fully."

"If that is true, why plan to lose all this time on the trip? I could get us there in the blink of an eye. Then, you could enjoy your vacations all the more."

"No magic, I mean it," Phoebe insisted, provoking another irritated gesture from Cole. 

A whitelighter's chime prevented her from questioning him any further on this. However, this time it was Piper who exclaimed, seeing her husband coming back, accompanied by an attractive blonde woman.

"Leo?"

Leo was talking to the other whitelighter with obvious irritation and did not seem to hear his wife's call.

"I told you not to come here. Just go back up. You will do just fine."

"But Leo…"

"No, I mean it. You should not be here…"

The young woman pouted and was already orbing out when Piper called again, much louder:

"Leo!"

This one turned to her, and for a brief instant, she thought that she saw a hint of guilt. However, he quickly smiled and came to her as if nothing had happened.

Piper stopped him at arms' length.

"Hey? Who was that?"

Again, she thought that she saw a shadow cross over his features, but he dismissed her question quickly, with what looked like a forced smile:

"It was nobody, just a new whitelighter in need of help… Won't you let me kiss you? I missed you," he said, as he took another step toward her.

"So, what you mean is that this is another of your whitelighter' secrets that I cannot ask about…"

Leo' smile faded noticeably.

"You know the rules, Piper…"

Piper could not help thinking that he seemed only too happy to use this argument. However, she had missed him too, as he had been gone for over a day. What's more, she decided to keep this discussion for later, as she could feel Cole and Phoebe staring at them.

"Anyhow," she shrugged, "I have some news, and was wondering if you were planning to stick around for more than a few hours?"

This time, Leo smiled frankly:

"As a matter of fact, the Elders promised me a whole two weeks with you."

Piper forgot about her concerns right then:

"They have," she asked with a wide smile.

"Yes! I know how difficult it has been for you, and I asked them to give me this time. For once, they agreed."

"Oh that is wonderful," Piper exclaimed. "And such perfect timing…"

"How so?"

Piper told him of their idea and in the meantime, Phoebe decided to pull Cole aside.

"Why are you being like this," she asked, when they got to the hallway.

"Like what?'

She could still feel the irritation in his answer.

"What would it hurt to do this my way?"

"Nothing. However, it is still ridiculous." When he saw that she was about to protest, he continued venting his grievances quickly:

"And why is it that we are going with them? I thought that vacations meant Jason and us. Not the whole family again…"

This was not going well, and the worst for Phoebe was that she had no idea why. Nevertheless, and in spite of her growing irritation with his objections, she answered his last question:

"I just thought that Piper needed some time away from here, as well as Paige…"

"What? Paige too?"

Phoebe sighed:

"Paige has gone through a bad ordeal of her own not long ago, and she could use this vacation as well. What's more," she added quickly, "since we cannot leave Jason behind, she can help us with him and give us some quality time…"

Cole could not help the skepticism in his voice:

"Like she does here?"

The tone of his voice left Phoebe little doubts he was not convinced that she helped as much as she implied.

"Cole! You are not being fair."

"Am I? You do know that we have spent more time dealing with her problems than getting any help from her. I like her fine, but really this is beginning to be a burden."

Phoebe was flabbergasted. She knew that they had not gotten enough quality time lately, but she had not realized that Cole felt so strongly about it.

"I thought that you understood…"

"I understand, Phoebe," he said with a sigh, suddenly deflated.

"I am sorry," he added, "I don't know why I said that…"

He knew however, but Phoebe's pained expression has convinced him to back down on this. Ever since the darklighter had molested her, Paige had been more sensitive, and he often felt that he could not be himself near her. In truth, he understood that Paige had good reasons to be like this. However, it did not make the life in the house easier for any of them. They all walked on eggshells, worried to say or do something that would hurt her. Both Phoebe and him had often found her on the verge of tears. For the same reason, they had not asked her to baby-sit as much and all the advantage of not being under constant attack by evil was lost. They still had as little time to themselves as they did before.

Phoebe was biting her lips, wondering if she should be angry at his outburst or simply try to accept his apologies. However, she was still convinced that a change of venue, and no magic for a while, might help all of them.

"That is alright, I guess that it's true, somewhat. Still, I do think that a vacation would do us all a world of good, and maybe, it would help Paige getting back on track…"

"If you want…" he caved then. Yet, he questioned.

"You are really serious about this no magic business?"

Something in the way he said it told Phoebe that his outburst about Paige had been mostly a cover up for this main concern. She did not feel like starting another argument now however, and she was convinced that he was only a little surprised.

"Yes, I am…"

"Alright then, I guess that this will have to do." He added with a discreet sigh, that Phoebe did not miss. She promised herself to question him further on this later. For now, she only wanted to tell Piper that they were on, and go announced it to Paige as well.

On their way back to the living room, they heard Leo exclaim somewhat in the same manner Cole had earlier.

"What do you mean, no magic?"

Phoebe answered for Piper:

"What's with you guys? Can't we live without magic for a few days?"

Leo was taken aback, and turned a questioning stare toward Cole.

This one just shrugged, unwilling to restart this discussion.

Leo looked back at the girls and finally said:

"Well, if you put it this way…"

Forgetting the men's objections, Piper and Phoebe smiled happily, already in the vacation mood.

Ever since they had gotten on the plane, Cole had become increasingly irritable, to Phoebe's chagrin. The last straw had been when the pilot had announced a detour toward Florida because of a Noreaster storm. It apparently was expanding to most of the East Coast and they had been forced to land there, and to take another plane, which had done nothing to improve Cole's mood. He was complaining just about everything, from the poor service and the turbulence, to the noise level.

"Why we had to put ourselves through that, I will never understand," he was saying now, under his breath.

Phoebe was not certain that he had meant for her to hear, but this time she got angry:

"Ok now, that's enough. What is the matter with you?"

Cole seemed surprised at her outburst.

"Nothing…" he answered curtly.

"Oh no you don't. You have been a pain throughout this trip… I can't believe you."

"What? Is it not enough that we were delayed because of this stupid storm? If we had done what I said, we would already be at destination."

"What does it matter how long it takes? We are together here, aren't we? Why can't you just enjoy the trip? Even Leo has decided to enjoy himself, even if he thought like you at first."

"I'm not Leo," he answered brusquely.

He regretted it immediately, as Phoebe flinched.

"Are you purposefully trying to ruin our vacations?"

He hesitated, and the old couple in the seats next to them saved him from answering that, as they were arguing as well.

"I cannot believe you. Even fifty years later, you are still throwing him in my face. One would think that you would have forgotten by now."

"I married you, that should be enough for you," the woman answered, but with obvious hostility.

The older man pursued angrily:

"If I had known then…"

These people had been another subject of complaint from Cole, as they had been bickering like this non-stop since the take off. Turning away from them, Phoebe said again:

"Well?"

Cole sighed.

"Alright," he replied reluctantly, "if you must know, I do not like the idea of being on this plane."

"What? Why?"

However, she suddenly noticed that he was very tense, and began to wonder about it. This reminded her of their last "trip", where he had insisted on shimmering her to Europe and wait for the others there. At the time, she had believed that he wanted some time alone with her, but now she saw this in a very different light.

"You are not telling me that you are scared of flying, are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, why would I be?"

"Then what?"

Instead of answering this, Cole looked ahead toward the cockpit and seemed to be thinking intensely. Then, he turned to Phoebe with a rare smile in the last few hours.

"Nothing at all, you are imagining things… But I promise you that I will make an effort to be more pleasant from now on."

His change of attitude had been so sudden that Phoebe could not help wondering about it. Still, she was not ready to look a gift horse in the mouth, and if he had finally decided to be enjoying himself, she had no intentions to spoil it. However, the couple beside them continued their animated argument.

"If he had been so great, he would have come back for you. I was the one who helped you through this. He never even tried to find you again…"

"You are just a bitter old man…"

Outside the plane, a strange glow appeared to surround it. In the cockpit, the pilot looked at his instruments in total bewilderment. His copilot finally questioned him about it:

"What is it?"

The pilot took a moment longer before answering, looking at the moving controls in front of him, then back at the instruments, obviously puzzled.

"Would you believe me if I told you that the plane is flying herself?"

His copilot made him a face at that.

"Ha, ha, ha! Come on, Glen, that is such an obvious joke!"

"No, really," Glen said. He was pale as death now.

"The autopilot is disengaged, but the controls all work."

The copilot frowned at him:

"Hey, that is not funny. I am starting to worry about you. Maybe, you should have taken the vacation that they offered."

"Peter," Glen uttered irritably, "I am not joking and you can see for yourself that I am telling the truth."

Peter was very skeptical, convinced that he was falling for his pilot's bad humor, but he still checked his own panel. Just like Glen said, the autopilot was indeed disengaged, but the plane flew normally. In fact, he thought that the ride was smoother than before… In spite of this, Peter's face paled as well. He began looking around, half expecting a ghost to appear in the cockpit.

That is when he also remembered with a deepening panic that they had been nearing the accursed Bermuda triangle…

Back outside the plane, the glow began shimmering with bright colors throughout. Then, electric arcs began to multiply along the length of the airliner. 

Inside, the woman continued:

"Clay, you really need to get a grip on yourself…"

This name attracted both Phoebe and Cole's attention, if only as a reminder, but it was not until Clay talked that they truly turned to them in surprise.

"Cole was not half the man that you think, Phoebe…"

"Don't you dare," was the old woman's answer.

By then, Phoebe and Cole thought this to be too much of a coincidence.

Phoebe was about to question them directly, when she noticed lightning through the window beyond them. It was not like any lightning that she remembered however, as it was brightly colored, almost reddish.

She was puzzling over this, when another bright flash appeared, bluish in color this time.   
"What the?"

She had barely uttered the words that the whole plane seemed to shimmer, as if they were transported somewhere else, then she did not see anything anymore, as she seemingly lost consciousness.

By Justright/Christine Lemieux 


	2. The Wings of Love (Chapter II)

The Wings of Love

Chapter II

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wttttttttttttu 

The room was packed, couples dancing and others just laughing or discreetly kissing in corners. Most of the men there were in uniforms, and from the look of things, they had all intention of using their permissions to the fullest. Finding Company in this little French town was rarely a problem, as most girls sought to be with whom they considered heroes.

Two such men had found out about it, as they were sitting with two very beautiful girls in a corner, laughing and drinking in a carefree manner.

"Hey, Helene and me will go to powder our noses," one of the girls announced with a very heavy French accent. She smiled brightly toward the man in a pilot's uniform, and this one pulled her to him, kissing her enthusiastically.

"Don't be too long," he said then with a suggestive smile…"

""C'est promis," (I promise)," was the girl's answer, accompanied by a falsely embarrassed laughter.

His companion only smiled to Helene, as she turned away to follow her friend. He was obviously shyer than the pilot was, and his uniform was different. As Cole always told him, he was a rampant…

"Loosen up Leo, we're here to have some fun!"

"I thought that I was doing just that?"

Cole turned a teasing smile at his companion:

"Didn't I tell you that we would find you someone tonight? These French girls are a delight…"

"Well, yes, but I got the distinct impression that they think I am second best…What is it with girls and airplanes anyway?"

"I'm guessing that they would prefer to take a ride in one, rather than lying on your operating table…"

"Ha, ha," was Leo' sarcastic answer.

"Cheer up," Cole uttered joyously, ignoring the sarcasm, "they may want a pilot for some fun, but in the end, it's the doctors that they want to marry… I guess that they are smarter than they look…"

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Not in the least. I'm not the marrying type…"

"You will want to settle down one of these days, when you find the right girl…"

"Nah! You will see, in ten years, I will visit you in my sport's car with a young blond at my arm; while you, my friend, will be settling down to have Sunday dinner with your wife and kids. Who is going to be the happiest then?"

"Hardly enough, I like this idea very much, Cole. You might want to consider it."

"Don't be so depressing…"

Leo laughed in spite of himself. Cole was always the life of the party, even though he was certain that his life could not be fulfilled by this constant parade of young girls.

Still, he had to admit that this evening had been one of the highlights of his sojourn in Europe so far. As much as he enjoyed his profession, practicing during wartime was not very pleasant. That night, Cole had dragged him to this place, promising that he would forget about his depressing workload, and in truth, he had somewhat. Two days hence, they would be on their respective new assignments, too close for comfort to the front lines. For now, they were enjoying the pleasant company and he was grateful for the respite.

Cole and he were the most unlikely of friends, yet they got along fine. They had met the very day that Leo had arrived from America, when pulled immediately into the action, Leo had helped saving his copilot.

Leo had come to understand that him and Jimmy, the copilot in question, had become very close, but when he was sent back home after recuperating, Cole found himself lonely. Maybe out of gratitude, Leo did not know for sure, he began seeking his company, and they had become practically inseparable. Even so, Leo still had trouble understanding the carefree attitude of his companion. He was exposing himself to danger almost every day, but seemed unconcerned most of the time.

When Leo questioned him about it, he simply answered:

"Hey, what's the point of worrying? I love flying, and I get to do just that. Besides, those planes are like an armor. I am invincible," he had added with a self-mocking smile.

Cole often teased him about his action free job in the army, but Leo knew that he did not mean it. They had developed a respect for each other that ran too deep for that. In spite of all the banter, they were true friends, and he appreciated this. The war was hard enough; it was good to have a friend to get through it.

Outside the bistro, two girls were looking around, obviously waiting for someone.

"Are you sure that this is the place? I would not want you to have dragged me here for nothing," Phoebe said. She was wearing her uniform and a severe hairdo. Phoebe's glasses, as her cousin told her, were so thick and wide that they hid half of her face. So much so that it was difficult to tell if she was pretty or not. Piper, on the other hand, wore a casual dress and her shiny brown hair floated down her shoulders, framing her delicate features. It saddened her to see her cousin so intent on hiding herself like this.

"I told you already. There is not many places called, 'Le bistro de Jouvence' around here." 

Piper pronounced the words with a heavy accent, and if Phoebe had not been so upset at being there, she would almost have cracked up at this.

"Oh, the names those French people can come up with. As if alcohol and dancing all night could make you look younger…"

Piper snickered:

"Maybe you should try more often. You are too tense, you will age before your time…"

Phoebe just mumbled an annoyed:

"Hum…"

She looked around again and shrugged impatiently.

"If your friend does not arrive soon, I will call a cab and go back to the barracks. I do not even know why I followed you here…"

"Oh come on, Phoebe. Don't be such a party pooper…"

Piper turned toward an incoming car and smiled wildly. 

"See, there he is," she told her cousin brightly.

The car came to a stop almost next to them, and when two men in uniforms got out of it, Phoebe immediately turned an irritated expression toward her cousin.

"I thought that I told you no blind date!'

Piper looked up in exasperation, but did not bother answering, as the first man came close to her with a bright smile.

"Thank god, you are still here. We thought they would never let us go…"

"Of course, although I was getting worried, Ted," she pouted teasingly.

"So, who is your friend," she asked casually, pretending that she had nothing to do with his being there.

Ted was a little startled, as he was certain that she asked that he brought a friend, but he played along.

"Piper Halliwell, this is Clay Bartlett…"

The handsome man in an obvious airforce uniform came to take her hand and shook it gently.

"Delighted to make your acquaintance."

Piper giggled. Then, she turned to Phoebe.

"And this is my cousin, Phoebe Halliwell…"

This one was put off, and she barely acknowledged the young man.

He seemed surprised as well, but he still offered his hand to her.

Phoebe hesitated. Then she shook his firmly, albeit very quickly.

"Well, shall we," Ted asked enthusiastically, while slipping his arm under Piper's. This one smiled up at him and nodded happily, before they took the direction of the bistro, barely looking back to see if the others were following.

Clay turned to Phoebe, as they were starting slowly behind the first two.

"I hope that you are not angry?"

Phoebe tried her best to hide her displeasure, although she had to admit that the man was reasonably pleasant.

"Not at all, let's just go inside and see what the fuss is all about."

Clay smiled frankly:

"I am sure that you will like this place. It is very lively."

Phoebe smiled timidly, preferring not to tell him what she thought of very lively places.

Upon crossing the door, they were assaulted by the loud music and people shouting over it. The place was packed, and obviously an indeed popular spot with the military personal. In spite of her resolve, Phoebe almost turned back at this. She hated large parties, as she felt that she could not fit in. Although, she had changed a lot since her teens, she was used to being ridiculed at the time for her slightly overweight appearance as well as her love of books and studies. While other girls were mostly interested in attracting the attention of the most popular boys in the neighborhood, Phoebe had come to be happy to go unnoticed. She thought that boys were too superficial to be of interest to her. That is until she met Lewis. The thought of him was painful even now. Lewis had been two years her senior, but with the same aspirations for calm and studies as she. Or so, Phoebe had thought then. At first, he had been sweet and patient with her, apparently not in the least deterred by her shyness and reserve. In time, Phoebe had grown very fond of the young man, and believed that the feeling was reciprocal. However, shortly before she enlisted in the army, she had found out that Lewis had been less than candid with her. In fact, she had surprised him with another girl one evening, after he had promised to pick her up for an evening of cinema. That memory was burnt in her mind… Even two years later, she felt the pain of his betrayal.

As Clay took her arm to encourage her to follow the others inside, she remembered the humiliation that she had suffered when, thinking that he was delayed for an innocent reason, she had decided to go to his house directly. There, she had found him kissing and fondling one of the popular girls from her school. As rage and shame had invaded her, she had tried to run away unseen, but Lewis had spotted her, and his guilty stare had done nothing to help. Ever since that night, she had returned to hiding her blossoming womanhood, decided to make it on her own, as she believed that men were not worth this kind of pain. What she was witnessing in this bistro did nothing to change her mind. The people in there were for the most part rowdy and oblivious to conventions. Most girls wore outrageous outfits in her opinion, with way too much make up, and not enough clothing. Not surprisingly, the men were obviously enjoying this tremendously, acting in her mind like the beasts that they had not evolved from. Piper and her friend Ted were already at the bar, and Clay pressure on her arm intensified, as he directed her toward them. Phoebe felt claustrophobic in this crowd, as they were navigating through the packed dance floor. They were almost there, when a weird sensation coursed through her. She had no idea what provoked it, but she suddenly felt out of place, as if she was not meant to be there, or the person she was. Almost instinctively, she turned toward a corner of the room and spotted two men talking animatedly. One of them was blond and wore an army uniform. He was accompanied by a pilot, even sitting, obviously taller than his companion. His dark hair contrasted with his companion's almost as much as the uniform. Pilots usually fraternized among themselves, as she had noticed in the time she had spent around them. The man was handsome and smiling joyously, but that was not what struck her. In the same manner that she felt out of place, she sensed that they too should not have been there. Suddenly pulling away from Clay, she took one step in their direction, startling her companion.

"Miss Halliwell," Clay asked in puzzlement.

Phoebe ignored his question but stopped short as a strange shimmering light danced in front of her eyes.

Clay called again:

"Phoebe," he asked, more familiarly this time.

Phoebe seemed as if pulled out of a trance, wondering what was the matter with her, as she turned back toward Clay. This one had strained to see what she was looking at, but could not pinpoint it.

"Did you see someone you knew?"

Phoebe replied hesitantly.

"No, I don't know what got into me."

Clay frowned, suddenly wondering if the disappointing date was not going to become worse. 

"Are you alright," he still asked politely.

"Yes, I am fine," she finally answered. "I guess, it's all this agitation. I am not used to this."

"Strange," Clay uttered, "I thought that you were supposed to have been to the front as a nurse? There would have been more than enough agitation there, wouldn't it?"

Phoebe shook herself, and got her countenance back before replying firmly:

"One has nothing to do with the other. I do not like useless activities. My work is important and I concentrate on doing it the best that I can…"

Clay frowned anew:

"Surely, you do not mean that a little distraction is wrong?"

Phoebe toned down her apparent reproach.

"I am saying that this sort of activities is not what I aspire to, I am sorry if I sounded too harsh."

Clay only smiled weakly, and instead of answering, he took her arm, as they turned back toward Piper and Ted.

Cole was beginning to wonder about the girls.

"These girls take their jolly time. I did not think that they needed that much powdering," he said with a hint of annoyance. 

Leo replied calmly:

"I would not worry too much about that. That Lise seems to be into you a lot. I am sure that they will be back soon."

Cole turned an amused expression toward his friend:

"Oh, I was not worried about that. It is simply that I had other ideas for this evening than waiting here like a log…"

Leo faked to be offended:

"Am I boring you that much?"

Cole chuckled.

"Let's just say that what I have in mind does not involve you…"

"Oh dear," Leo uttered, repressing an amused laughter.

Cole looked up suddenly, sensing something but not knowing what it was. Looking toward the bar, he caught sight of a girl in uniform, one that he normally would not have noticed. She wore thick glasses and was severe in appearance. Yet, for some reason, he felt that he should have known her. The feeling of unease deepened, as she turned away and a strange shimmering light blurred his surroundings for an instant. As quickly as the sensation had come, it had gone away, leaving him confused.

Leo called to him:

"Hey, where did you go?"

Cole answered distractedly:

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for a moment there, you were not even listening to what I was saying."

Cole turned a puzzled expression toward his friend and was about to question him about it, when he spotted Lise and Helene coming back.

He decided to put this aside, and smiled widely at the girls, as they sat beside them… 

As the evening continued, Phoebe found herself slightly more at ease, even though, she was still puzzled by her earlier reaction. She could not even remember who, or what, had caught her attention then. However, Clay proved to be a witty conversationalist, even with the noise level. She even found herself smiling a few times, and he called her up on this at last.

"You know, you have a beautiful smile," he said, surprised himself.

"Appearances are not really what matters," Phoebe answered, although she could not help being flattered by the seemingly sincere compliment.

"I guess not," he answered, unmoved by her rebuff.

"Still, I cannot help wondering what other beautiful features you might be hiding behind this severe appearance of yours…"

Phoebe thought that the man was going a little too far, but for some reason, she did not discourage him. Instead, she smiled anew in spite of her reservations.

"There you go," he said happily. Then, he asked, "would you care for a dance?"

Her smile faded, as she looked upon the couples on the dance floor. 

"I…I would not know how…"

Clay smiled encouragingly:

"There is nothing complicated to it. Besides, we are here to have some fun, aren't we?"

Phoebe had not even believed that she would stay this long, let alone have fun. She hesitated still, and Piper, who had heard the last part, came beside them:

"Come on, Phoebe, one dance will not kill you…"

Phoebe glared at her, but deep down, she was glad for her cousin's insistence. 

Awkwardly, she followed Clay to the dance floor and let him lead her in a slow dance, for which she was grateful.

She had managed to relax some, when she noticed that her partner was tensing against her. Looking up, she noticed his staring behind her, and soon she heard him calling:

"Cole," with a very edgy tone of voice.

The man in question answered with the same edge:

"Clay, fancy meeting you here…"

Clay pulled away from her, and she found herself facing the newcomer. He looked strangely at her and she tried very hard to remember why he seemed so familiar, but without success.

The man named Cole continued:

"I had not expected to see you in town, as you said you would not leave the camp until our departure."

The way he spoke, Phoebe sensed that the two men had an underlying conflict but Clay answered pleasantly enough.

"As luck had it, my friend Ted came by and told me of this nice place in town. I figured why not?"

An awkward silence prolonged between them, even as the surrounding noise did not seem to cover the malaise.

"Well," Cole finally asked, looking toward her once more, "who is your friend here?"

Clay seemed slightly embarrassed and Phoebe thought that for the first time this evening, he had made her feel unwanted.

Still, he pursued:

"Phoebe Halliwell, this is Cole Turner. We fly together…"

At this, Cole smiled at her:

"I am the pilot of course," he added to this, with obvious pride.

Then, he pursued, ostensibly wrapping his arm around his own escort:

"And this is my new friend, Lise Delporte."

The blond girl had an impressive bosom and heavy make up. Phoebe could not help a grimace at this. She was the embodiment of all she abhorred.

The girl did not seem to notice, as she answered happily:

"Enchantée!"

However, Cole did, because he frowned toward her.

"Something the matter, Miss Halliwell?"

Phoebe hated having been caught, but she sustained his stare:

"Nothing that you would find of interest," she answered with a hint of disdain.

Cole did not know if he should get offended, or just ignore the woman's attitude. Still, he could not help getting a strange feeling of "déjà vu".

Choosing the latter, he questioned instead:

"Have we ever met before?"

His question startled Phoebe, as she had been asking herself the same thing. However, an irrational anger was swelling in her at the way he was holding the bimbo by his side, and her response was much harsher than she had meant.

"How original of you," she said, with even stronger disdain.

This wiped what was left of the smile on his face.

Rather than responding however, he turned back toward Clay:

"Well, I see that you are having a lot of fun here, don't let me interrupt," he uttered with a fake smile. 

Phoebe watched him go, still holding the girl way too close for a public place, in her opinion. After a moment though, she turned toward Clay, and remembering his attitude of earlier, she knew that she could not enjoy herself anymore.

"I think that I have had enough for this evening."

Clay looked at her with a hint of disappointment, but he remembered his faux pas and simply accompanied her back to the bar.

Cole looked preoccupied to Leo when he came back to the table.

"What is it?" He asked immediately.

Cole instinctively denied:

"Nothing…"

"So why the long face?"

Cole directed Lise toward a seat before answering his friend.

"Oh, well, Clay is here…"

Leo frowned in puzzlement.

"And?"

"Oh, it's nothing, it is just that he was with this annoying girl…"

"Coming from you, it's shocking," Leo replied with a teasing smile. "What did she say to you?"

"Oh nothing of consequence, and what's more, she was a dog…"

Lise interjected for the first time:

"That girl was so cold…Are all American women like this?" 

Cole turned with a big smile toward her.

"Actually no, but none of them are as warmhearted as you."

The girl giggled, pleased.

Cole chased away the remaining malaise, determined to enjoy the rest of the evening, and he had a pretty good idea of how.

"Well, personally I think that it is time to move on."

Pulling Lise to him, he offered:

"Do you know of a more intimate place that we could find in this town," he asked suggestively.

The girl giggled anew, but nodded in the affirmative.

Leo was rather uncomfortable then.

"Maybe I should go back to the camp. We only have one more day of leave…"

"Oh come on Leo," Cole exclaimed, "you don't want to go so soon, the night is young," he added, looking at the girl, who smiled knowingly.

Helene had been rather quiet herself that evening, but she spoke up then, having obviously gotten the gist of the conversation in spite of her limited English:

"Vraiment, vous devez finir la soiree…"

Leo turned questioningly toward Cole and Lise.

The latter informed him:

"She wants you to stay with us."

"Ha, well, I guess then…"He said turning a timid smile toward Helene.

This one smiled happily and took his hand in hers.

Cole stood up and pulled Lise to him again.

"Then, it's decided."

Just before they left, Cole could not help looking back toward the dance floor. He could not see her anymore, but no matter how hard he tried to forget about her, she stayed on his mind afterward…

Phoebe went straight to Piper, and firmly announced that she was leaving.

"Why?" Piper asked, in surprise.

"I thought that you were enjoying yourself," she added.

Phoebe was not in the mood to soften anything for Piper. Even less for the fact that Ted seemed to be all over her and her cousin did not mind in the least. She started giggling, as he kissed her neck brazenly, even while the two girls talked.

"Well, you were wrong. However, I am sure that Clay will find some company to finish the evening," she added, looking around the room with obvious contempt.

She had not been looking at him while saying so, but he knew that she had meant it as an insult. Hardly enough, it did shake him.

"I have no intentions of letting you go by yourself," he said then impulsively.

"Let me make sure that you have returned safe and sound, that is the least that I could do for the pleasure of your company tonight."

Phoebe turned an incredulous gaze his way:

"Pardon me, but I got the impression that you were not so pleased…"

Piper asked with concern:

"What do you mean?"

Clay answered for Phoebe:

"Just that I was less than considerate, but I would like to make up for it, if Phoebe doesn't mind?"

This was said with such an accent of sincerity that Phoebe thought that he might just have meant it.

"Well, if you really mean this…"

Clay replied quickly:

"Yes, of course I do."

Piper still tried to convince Phoebe to stay:

"See, that was not so bad, why don't you continue the evening with us?"

Phoebe was not going to be deterred, however. In truth, she had had enough of all this agitation:

"No really, I want to go. Thanks anyway."

Piper pouted for a moment, but she refused to let this put a damper on her night out.

"If you really want this, then I'll see you later."

Phoebe frowned:

"Are you sure that you want to stay here by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself," Piper answered, smiling back toward Ted.

Phoebe did not ad that this was what she feared. Instead, she smiled warily at her cousin, and turned toward the exit, soon followed by Clay.

Before going out, Phoebe turned in the direction Cole and the girl had taken, as if trying to find him in the crowd. He was nowhere in sight, and she tried to put this thought aside. Outside the bistro however, and as they were waiting for a cab, she asked Clay:

"That man, Cole? There seemed to be some animosity between you two. You say that you are a team?"

Clay cleared his throat ostensibly.

"Well, let's just say that if I had had a choice, I would have sought another assignment."

"Why?"

Clay shrugged:

"It is really not important…"

"Still, I wonder…"

Clay gave her a suspicious side look, but quickly changed expression.

"Well, he is rather reckless. And that is not an exaggeration. He is a very good pilot, but with a tendency to take risks uselessly."

Phoebe stayed quiet then, and Clay asked:

"Why did you want to know?"

"Oh, I was just curious, it's in my nature."

Clay smiled gently, and changing subject:

"Will you forgive my earlier attitude. I assure you that I did take a lot of pleasure in your company. Intelligent conversations are so rare in this place."

Phoebe wondered if she should be flattered or not. He thought of her as a good conversationalist, probably no more. It suddenly annoyed her.

She smiled weakly nevertheless, but looked impatiently around.

"Aren't there any cabs in this town?"

The next afternoon, Cole was walking fast toward a larger barrack, where he found his copilot, apparently waiting for him. Suppressing a grimace, he motioned him inside.

A clerk barely lifted his head at their entrance, and Cole moved quickly toward his desk, impatient to know what this was about.

"Captain?" The clerk asked distractedly.

Cole sighed impatiently:

"You called for us…"

"Oh yes, you are the pilots…"

Cole rolled his eyes. Why were those scribes so cryptic and disdainful? Really, he would take a pilot every day over those…

"So," he asked when the scribe in question was taking his time to answer.

"You have new orders," he said at last.

"What new orders? We are supposed to fly to the front tomorrow morning. I don't see what could be more important than this." Clay uttered, breaking his silence.

Cole disliked the man, but in this instance, he tended to agree.

"Indeed, what?"

The clerk was obviously used to people abusing him as the bearer of bad news. He did not even flinch at their questions:

"As you know, we are short on pilots these days, and a contingent of medical, and other staff is to be sent to the front as well. It so happens that they are slated to depart at about the same time as you two. The orders call for assigning you to get them to destination. Then, you can move on to your original assignment."

"What?" Cole exclaimed loudly.

"I am not flying a taxi. We were supposed to go back in our own plane."

"Apparently, planes are not a problem to find there, Sir. On the other hand, personal is short at the present time. I am only relaying the orders to you."

Cole advanced threateningly toward the clerk, who this time seemed to recoil slightly. However, Clay grabbed Cole's arm.

"Come on, you know perfectly well that there is no point in killing the messenger. Let's do this babysitting job so that we can go back to business, shall we?"

Cole rudely shrugged his arm out of Clay's grasp, but still backed down.

Angry, he turned toward the door without another word.

Clay followed while frowning, both of them ignoring the relieved expression on the clerk's face.

Cole did not stop until he had reached the mess hall, and there, he spotted his friend but did not smile while sitting down in front of him.

"Hola, you seem pissed. What did they do again," Leo asked. However, before Cole could answer, Clay unceremoniously sat by them and gave him the news. Unlike them, it brought a smile to Leo's face:

"Hey, you should be glad, we will have some more time together…"

"Leo, that is not the point…" Cole answered irritably.

Leo smiled anew, ignoring his friend's mood.

"Oh I know, it's not your plane. But really, what hurt is it to fly a safe aircraft for a change? You will be back in your flying coffin soon enough."

Cole found that his friend had once more deflated his temper, even if through some dark humor.

"Didn't I tell you that my plane was like an armor," he then said, with the beginning of a smile showing.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Leo replied, amused. "At any rate, there are quite a few female passengers. I would think that both of you might appreciate that…"

Cole turned to Clay at this, and asked casually:

"Speaking of females, how did it go for you last night?"

Cole did not even know why he asked, but tried to tell himself that it was only to mock his copilot.

"I do not think that this is any of your business!"

Cole smirked while turning back toward Leo. 

"What did I tell you? Sharp tongue and very little else…"

Leo did not answer, made uncomfortable by his friend's apparent disrespect of a lady. However, he knew him too well, and this was not his usual attitude. It left him wondering, even as Cole pursued, while getting back up.

"For my part, I had quite a tiresome evening, although satisfying," he added with a smug grin. "I think that we need our rest, don't we Leo?"

Being reminded of the previous evening pulled Leo out of his wondering and had him blushing.

"Cole!" he exclaimed, albeit weakly.

Cole' smile widened, as he waited for his friend to follow.

Leo turned an embarrassed smile toward Clay, and soon followed Cole out of the mess.

When they were only a few steps out, they practically bumped into Phoebe and Piper, coming in turn.

Piper was now sporting her uniform, but that did not hide her looks, on the contrary. Leo was immediately attracted to the young woman, and for this reason, barely noticed Phoebe, or the darkening of Cole's expression.

"Hello," he said to Piper, barely keeping his wits to himself.

This one smiled happily.

She then uttered an appreciative:

"Hello…" this while looking up the doctor without reserve. 

Leo felt himself blushing again, and stayed silent.

"Well, well," Piper pursued, "are you also transferred to the front tomorrow," she asked, in a very direct manner.

"Huh, yes," Leo answered, suddenly feeling like the mouse to a cat.

Piper continued with a larger smile:

"Hey," she said, half turning toward her cousin, "this assignment might not be so bad after all." Then to Leo:

"I will enjoy the pleasure of your company…?"

"Leo," this one babbled, "Leo Wyatt…"

"Call me Piper, honey." She answered playfully, winking suggestively.

Meanwhile, Cole watched Phoebe with an uncertain expression. What was it about this girl?" He asked himself. Through the thick glasses, she was looking back with obvious contempt, and yet, there was something, like curiosity in her expression as well.

"We meet again," he uttered at last, his voice trailing.

Phoebe hesitated, almost tempted to smile and not even knowing why. However, she was quickly reminded of the previous evening and his rudeness, or what she considered such.

"Not by choice," she uttered then.

Cole recoiled at the tone of her voice even more than the words.

"Rest assured mam, that I have no intention of bothering you."

With a fake corner smile, he saluted her quickly, and went around her, feeling that once again, he had been missing on something. Phoebe, for her part, grabbed her cousin's arm, even as this one was trying to continue flirting with Leo.

"Let's go," Phoebe said curtly, ignoring the doctor, "I'm starving…"

Piper cast an apologizing look toward Leo, and then let Phoebe pull her away. Leo watched them go with a vague smile trailing on his lips. Then, realizing that Cole had left without him, he hurried to follow him.

"Hey," he called, when he was almost by Cole' side, "where are you going so fast?"

"I told you, I need some rest," this one answered too harshly.

Leo chuckled:

"I have never known you to be in such a hurry to do nothing…"

Cole stopped abruptly, turning to his friend with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry, I did not meant to take it out on you. It's just this woman is so infuriating."

Leo questioned in confusion:

"Who?"

Cole shrugged:

"It's not important anymore…"

Piper turned an irritated expression toward her cousin as they entered the mess.

"Hey, what was the big hurry?"

"I told you that I was hungry, let's eat."

Piper almost jumped at the snappy tone of voice.

"The way you are acting, one would think that you already ate lion…"

Phoebe only then realized how rude she had been.  
"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Or rather, I do know, it's that stupid pilot…"

Piper asked, uncomprehending:

"Who? Not the guy you went back with last night, is it?"

Phoebe shrugged:

"No not that one, although I am not certain that I want to talk about him either…"

Piper frowned.

"You know Phoebe, you have to loosen up. You cannot live your life like this."

"I can very much live without men… You should try…"

"Speak for yourself," Piper answered, with a pretend horrified expression. 

"You might have sworn off men, but I certainly have not…"

By then, Piper had already forgotten about the motivation for her cousin's bad mood. Particularly that this little banter seemed to have a positive effect on her.

Phoebe could not help smiling at her cousin. She was so genuine in her affirmations, although she was still convinced that Piper would only get hurt eventually. This brought back the nagging thoughts about Cole. Something about him made her at once curious and wary. Even her was not this snappy usually. 

Just as she was thinking about this, she caught sight of Clay. He was waving at them, and rather than go to him, she simply nodded in his direction, and then quickly led her cousin to a table on the other side of the mess. Not today, she thought…

She believed that it would be the end of it, considering how coldly they had said goodbye to each other the night before. However, a few minutes later, as she looked up, she found herself facing him again. He was smiling.

"May I sit with you two? I found myself alone and it's always a sad way to have lunch…"

Phoebe repressed a shrug and acquiesced.

She was still wondering why he would bother at all, but the conversation was pleasant enough and she found that she could relax here and there.

When it was time for him to leave, he turned to her, smiling softly.

"Well, I am glad to know that we will be going together tomorrow. I will enjoy your company some more."

Phoebe smiled, although still doubtful about this.

After he had left, Piper watched her cousin with interest.

"Hey, I thought that you did not like him very much? Could it be?"

Phoebe let out an annoyed sigh:

"Don't count on it…"

Piper seemed to think about this. Then she smiled suddenly.

Phoebe could not help her curiosity, even as they were preparing to go out.

"What is so funny?"

Piper grinned:

"Nothing…"

Phoebe opened big questioning eyes at the vague answer.

In reaction, Piper pursued:

"Really nothing… Although, you should really consider taking off these glasses Phoebe," she added teasingly.

"When you make that face, they make you look like an owl…"

Phoebe should have formalized herself of this, but instead, she chose to ignore it.

"Come on, let's get out of here…"

Piper shook her head with a hint of sadness, as she watched her cousin going… She knew too well that Phoebe was hiding from life. She also knew for a fact that behind this severe look, hid a lovely person, with a heart of gold. Now, if only others could see this as well, she thought, before following her outside.

Cole was extremely annoyed, even as he concentrated on his piloting. Clay had deserted his seat, leaving room for Leo. However, Leo had found that his friend was not talkative that day.

"Hey, what's up with you," he finally asked, "is there something the matter with the plane?"

"Other than the fact that it is large as a whale, full of people that I have to baby-sit, and that I would infinitely prefer to pilot my own plane? That my copilot prefers to chat with the passengers rather than doing his job…"

This had all been told in one breath, and Leo jumped at the sudden outburst.

"Wow, you are in a bad mood!"

Cole twisted his mouth without answering, mostly angry with himself for blowing off like this. In the last hour, his mood had gone from bad to worse. Before the take off, he had once more met with Phoebe, but this time she had blatantly ignored him, while smiling gently at Clay. For some reason, this had infuriated him more than he would even admit to his best friend. Then, as if it was not enough, Clay had requested to leave his post, since there was no need for the both of them at all time in the cockpit. Cole was convinced that Clay's intention was to go join Phoebe back there. He was mostly annoyed that he would get himself so worked up over an insignificant girl. 

Shaking himself, he cast an apologetic look toward his friend:

"Don't mind me, I'm just in a foul mood today."

"That's ok…It's also what friends are for. If there is something specific that you would like to talk about…"

Cole felt very self-conscious at this, thinking that maybe Leo had understood the true motive for his bad attitude of earlier. He was not in the habit of letting any woman get to him, let alone one like her…

"Nothing, really…"

"Suit yourself, but I'm there for you."

Cole reported his attention to the controls. He was losing himself in thoughts again, when he believed that he saw something strange.

The compass needle seemed oddly steady, unlike the usual. He had been so preoccupied that until now, he had not noticed other than to confirm their direction. Now, he tapped the instrument lightly at first, with no results. Trying again a little more forcefully did not have any more effect. A bad feeling course through him, as he voluntarily caused a deviation in their course. No change there either. The bad feeling deepened, so much so that Leo noticed. However, before he could question him about it:

"Go get Clay, please," Cole told him in a tense voice.

"Cole?"

"Everything will be fine, I just need you to get Clay here. It is time for him to get back anyway."

Leo eyed his friend suspiciously but he went out nevertheless.

Clay had barely entered the cockpit that another bad news came in the form of a growing point on the horizon. Cole had not wanted to alarm Leo, but in truth, he had no idea of where they were. The compass was totally useless, and for all he knew, they might have deviated toward the Mediterranean Sea. 

"We have a problem," Cole simply announced to his copilot, as Clay was taking his seat with obvious irritation.

"This better be good," He uttered, "I do not like to be summoned like this…"

Cole was not about to make nice:

"You have a job to do, and it is most certainly not to entertain the passengers."

Clay was about to protest, but Cole lifted his hand imperatively:

"No time for this! The compass is scrapped, I have no idea where we are, and I am afraid that we are getting company," he said quickly, indicating the horizon.

This deflated Clay. He watched intensely, as the growing point was becoming more defined:

"Friendly?"

"Let's hope so…" Cole answered, the tenseness almost palpable in the cockpit…


	3. The Wings of Love (Chapter III)

****

The Wings of Love

Chapter III

*******************

Leo had tried to go talk to Piper at first, but had not found the nerve until now, even though she had smiled invitingly at him earlier. Going to the cockpit had been as much to give himself some time, as to see his friend. Right then, he was rather preoccupied with Cole's reaction, and it might have been why he was not nearly as nervous to talk to her this time around. As soon as Clay had left, obviously irritated, Piper had indicated the seat next to her.

"Hey, were you trying to avoid me," she asked in her very direct manner.

Leo smiled nervously:

"More like I wondered if you still wanted to talk to me at all?"

"Of course, silly you. Didn't I tell you so yesterday?"

She was smiling and Leo felt warm inside. He had enjoyed his evening with Helene, truly. However, this one had nothing in common with Piper, who was full of life, so open and direct. It was refreshing to him, and he had to admit, a good thing considering his own reserve. 

He had been looking at her without a word for a long moment, and she commented:

"Hey, I thought that doctors liked to talk a lot more…"

Leo felt his cheeks warming, as he realized that he must have looked very silly right now. Still, her smile and tone of voice told him that she was not about to give up, and he was glad.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thoughts," he replied, trying to cover his slight embarrassment.

Phoebe intervened then:

"Would those thoughts have to do with the copilot being called back?"

Her question took him by surprise, and at first, he almost voiced his concerns to them. However, he stopped himself in time, thinking that whatever had worried Cole could be resolved quickly. There was no need to alarm anyone else.

"Oh no, don't worry about it. It was simply time for him to go back," he said instead.

From what he could read of her, he thought that she was unconvinced. Maybe Clay had told her otherwise… However, she did not question him further and he was glad.

"So," Piper said again, "we are going to be neighbors for a while. We might as well try to know each other better."

He turned back with a smile toward Piper, as she began to tell him about herself without a hint of restraint. 

Meanwhile, Phoebe cast an anxious look toward the cockpit. She had never been comfortable on planes. In fact, was it not for the war, she probably would never have climbed into one. Until now, Clay's conversation had kept her busy. However, at this point, she felt a dread that she did not like at all. Hoping to find something to distract herself, she leaned toward her bag and while doing so, her arm brushed against the seat in front of her. Just then, the strange shimmering started again. This time however, it was not a sense of displacement that she experienced, but rather a vision, a powerful vision of the plane crashing down. She had pained retaining a scream, but still jumped as the vision dissipated along with the shimmering. Piper noticed her reaction:

"Phoebe? What's wrong?"

Phoebe tried to get her breath under control before answering. She was tempted to tell her what she had seen, but could not help thinking that her own fears must have inspired the so called vision. After all, there was no such thing as psychics. She had never believed in them and was not about to now. She turned toward them with a forced smile:

"Oh, it's nothing, I hit my arm, but I'm fine…"

"You are sure?"

Piper watched her curiously for a few more seconds. Then she went back to her conversation, oblivious.

Even if she firmly believed that it had been a hallucination however, Phoebe still shook inside.

The roaring sound that they all heard next did not do anything to calm her down…

In the cockpit, Cole was just looking back at the controls after having watched the Messerschmitt go by.

"Oh, oh, I am afraid that we just got our answer."

Even as he was saying this, he jerked the stick and sent the plane in a turn to try evading the attacker.

Clay asked nervously:

"How the hell are we facing a German plane here? Is he lost?"

Cole did not look at him, concentrating on the instrument and the flying, but he still uttered:

"As I told you, I am afraid that we are the ones who are lost. And this little turn of event tells me that we are not in friendly territory anymore."

He had barely finished saying this before the first barrage of bullets rained toward them. He could not tell if they had been hit or not, but he gave another twist to the stick sending the plane down and to one side. He had little hope to escape the attacker however, as this elephant of an aircraft was much slower and less maneuverable than the attack plane. Another barrage flew apparently right over their head and Cole's knuckles turned white from the effort and the tension.

For the first time in his years of flying, he experienced the actual fear of defeat. He silently cursed his commanding officers for having put him in this situation, no matter that he knew they had nothing to do with the circumstances.

Half turning toward Clay, he uttered between clenched teeth.

"Go check on them, and tell them to brace themselves. Then, come back in a hurry. I don't know how long we will last."

Very tense himself, Clay simply nodded and took off quickly.

When he got to the cabin, it was obvious that the warning was superfluous. The passengers, for the most part experienced with combat, were staying relatively calm, but they were preparing for the worst. Most of them had their seat belt on and cushions on their knees. He noticed that although Piper and Phoebe did the same as the others, Phoebe seemed really scared.

"As you can see and hear, we are under attack. We will do everything that we can, but take all the precautions necessary for a possible forced landing."

Many spoke between themselves, but Clay was satisfied that there was no actual panic as of yet. Right then, the plane jerked again, and he heard the bullets flying by. This time however, they had found their target, as a sudden flare appeared on the left wing. Fire continued burning afterward, telling him that it must have hit one of the tanks. He tensed even more. He wanted to reassure Phoebe, but only took the time to find her eyes and smiled at her before turning back quickly.

As Clay came back to his seat, Cole did not look at him still. He was now flying in zigzag, trying to give less of a target to the German pilot.

"Are they ok," he asked.

"I think so, for now," Clay replied.

The attack plane came flying in front of them suddenly, and they both knew that their time was counted. Cole pushed the stick and sent the plane even lower. They could see the ground looming toward them.

"Why don't you try flying high," Clay asked.

"I will attempt to lose him and land…"

Clay turned to him in surprise.

Cole pursued, giving him no time to question his decision:

"We are hit badly, we cannot continue on our way. Our only chance is to attempt the landing."

Clay would have wanted to protest, but thought better of it. In fact, he was surprised that Cole would take the safer way for once.

Cole had a sudden impulse, coming from who knew where. He was convinced that did he choose to, he could land the plane safely anywhere.

Even if it defied logic, something inside told him so. He began scrutinizing the approaching ground for a clearing, but another barrage hit, and this time, the left wing blew in half. The attacker had obviously assessed their weakness and pounded on it. The plane started spiraling down, totally out of control.

In the cabin, even the consummate military personal was now panicking openly. Objects were flying back and forth, hitting some of them, as they held on for dear life. Many were torn from their seats, and then thrown against the cabin walls. Their screams of agony were almost unbearable. Phoebe was terrorized, but even so, she had time to think back of the vision with an eerie feeling. 

It all seemed to be the end for them, but suddenly the plane seemed to stabilize and hit the ground hard, but flat on its belly. It slid for a long time, hitting a few trees on the way. Then it came to a stop. 

Clay turned incredulously toward his pilot, who was just as astonished by what happened. They found themselves thankfully under the cover of trees, which made them a harder target for the attacker. More bullets hit the ground somewhere behind them. However, it seemed that the German pilot believed them to be dead, most probably due to the fire still raging on what was left of the left wing, because this was the last attack. 

Cole thought that he could never breathe again. His chest was still so tight from the fear and effort. In addition, he could not understand how he had managed to put the plane down in this manner. At the last minute, the nose of the plane had come up on its own. All at once, it was as if the controls had been returned to him… As if the plane still had its wing…

He had the impression that they were carried down, rather than fell. At this point however, he was not going to question their good fortune any further, as he was much more anxious about his passengers. No matter that the landing had been successful, the descent had been hell. The danger was far from passed, as the fire threatened to extend to the rest of the airplane. He gave a knowing look at Clay, and this one understood. The both of them, taking off the seat belts at the same time, hurried toward the cabin.

There, a few passengers were still strapped in their seats, in a daze. However, most were already tending to the wounded and others were trying to open the hatch. Clay went straight to those, as Cole went to his friend, who was treating a passenger with severe head injuries.

"Leo, are you all right," he asked immediately, while assessing the rest of the passengers at a glance. The place was a terrible mess, with papers and baggage littering the whole cabin. Some people were sprawled on the floor between the seat, some of them beyond help. 

Leo turned a sad expression toward his friend. Ignoring his inquiry, he asked instead.

"What happened?"

"There will be time for this later, we have to move out of this plane, and quickly."

He heard the sound of the hatch bursting opened, and pulled Leo away from the patient.

"Come on Leo, help others, I will take care of him."

He said this while picking up the injured men.

Before turning toward the hatch however, he could not help looking out the window at the burning wing, and wondering again by what miracle they were not all dead.

Outside the plane, a strange light, seemingly surrounding the plane, was now rapidly dissipating. By the time the crew and passengers came out of the craft, there was no trace left of it.

The plane was on its belly on the ground, and there was no need for any ladder. Therefore, the men who could, quickly evacuated the wounded, while a few of the nurses began taking care of them a ways from the craft.

After the last one of them was out, Cole tried to return in to make a last sweep of the plane. That is when a large explosion threw him at least twenty feet backward, where he lay, dazed for a long moment, until a young woman came by his side. At first, he did not recognize her. Her hair was partly undone, and her features soft in spite of the frown of worry on her forehead. As the dizziness dissipated, he thought that he saw her squint to see better, even as she patted his forehead with a piece of cloth. This is when he realized who she was and looked up in surprise.

"Miss Halliwell," he asked, with obvious surprise. 

Phoebe looked down with a hint of annoyance.

"Who else," she asked. 

He felt a sudden relief, even in spite of the rebuff, at seeing her safe and sound. He had no idea why it should matter that much to him, but still felt it deeply.

"You look different," he said then, hesitantly.

"You just almost got yourself killed recklessly, and you are wondering about my looks," she exclaimed incredulously.

He was not too certain, but he thought that he could see concern in her eyes. Pride still made him say:

"I was doing my job, mam" This, as he moved to stand up.

"Wait," she said, "you might be hurt more than you think."

"I will be fine," he said, a little too harshly. Then, seeing her about to talk, he added in a softer tone of voice, almost apologetic:

"Thanks…"

He stared at her a few more seconds, still wondering why he had not seen before how beautiful she truly was. Then he shook himself, and forgetting the pain in his forehead, he headed toward the group of stranded people.

Phoebe wondered about her mixed feelings. On the one hand, she still thought of him as arrogant, and superficial. Yet, she watched him go with a longing that she could not define. 

The anxious voice of Clay interrupted her musing.

"Phoebe, are you ok? I was so worried about you."

Phoebe took a moment before turning toward him. She was glad to see him well, but right now, she was confused.

When she stood up and faced him, he seemed surprised.

"What?" She asked.

"Huh…You look so different," he said with a widening smile.  
Suddenly, Phoebe felt very self-conscious.

"My glasses, I had to remove them and they got broken. Now I can't see very well…"

His smile brightened even more:

"I can see fine for both of us. You look beautiful."

Phoebe was usually wary of compliments, as she thought that they were for the most part exaggerated and interested. However, Clay had been such a pleasant companion until now that she chose to believe he was sincere.

"Well, thank you, but it really isn't that important…"

Clay saw that she was uncomfortable and quickly added:

"Of course not, you are still the wonderful person that I have learned to know in the last two days…"

She smiled timidly then. This abundance of praise was a little too much for her however, and she changed the subject quickly:

"No matter," she said, while turning resolutely toward the others, "we still have a lot to do…Do we even know where we are?"

Clay seemed embarrassed at this, which did not reassure Phoebe.

"We will figure it out soon," he said then, hoping that it was the truth.

Cole still felt an annoying dizziness, but he tried to hide it from the others. He had become by default the leader of this group, and he had to give the image of calm. To himself, he had to admit that the situation did not look very good. They had no clue of where they were, and most of the survival kits were now burning with the plane. Fortunately, some of the men had the presence of mind to get a few packages out…

Cole worried about the panic when he told them of his suspicions and was reflecting on how to do so, when he saw Leo coming to him, all business.

He apparently understood the seriousness of their problem, and was not about to ad to Cole's burden by showing his fear and uncertainty:

"We lost ten people on the plane," he still said somberly. "However," he added quickly, "I am confident that the injured will recuperate…"

Although, Leo did not pry, Cole knew that he was full of questions. There was no point in delaying any longer, anyway.

"This is good news… However, we have another more pressing problem…"

Leo kept quiet, even if his chest tightened at the serious expression on his friend's features. 

"We have no real idea of where we are, Leo." Leo reacted but still let him finish. "The little we know is not reassuring. I am almost certain that we overshot our destination, and ended up in enemy territory."

Leo could not help a worried exclamation this time.

"OH!"

"Which brings me to the next order of business," he added as calmly as he could, knowing that to show worry would only provoke the panic that he wanted to avoid.

"This plane is like a flare to any enemy troop that could be in the vicinity. Do you think that we can move these people away quickly?"

Leo looked back, trying to hide his anxiety. The medical personal was already hard at work, at least the ones who survived or did not get severe injuries. It was fortunate that most of them had experience in combat medicine, since they seemed to react appropriately, even in the dire circumstances.

Leo turned back to Cole:

"I think that we can manage within two hours, but some of them need to be stabilized before we can move them…"

Cole wanted to insist on the urgency of the situation, but he knew that Leo was a competent doctor and had to rely on his judgement.

"Do the best you can. Meanwhile, Clay and me have to do something. If we are not back when you are ready, start without me. You have to get these people out of here as soon as you can.

"But what about you?"

"It is just in case, Leo. We will be back in time, do not worry," he added, trying to sound positive about it.

He gave his friend a pat on the arm, and turned away without wait. Leo watched him going with dread, but he had a job to do, and he soon returned to it, quickly crossing toward the larger group.

Cole immediately saw that Clay was with Phoebe, now on their way toward the group. He experienced a pinch in his chest that was none too pleasant and incomprehensible to him. He tried to hide it, but his irritation still shone through, as he began talking to Clay.

"Clay, come with me. We have to assess where we are quickly," Cole said curtly, barely looking at them.

Phoebe surprised him when she asked:

"Are you sure that you are ok?"

He gave her an irritated side-glance, before answering:

"I'm fine… Why don't you go take care of the real hurt people, instead of flirting with my copilot."

Phoebe's anger flared:

"How dare you?"

Cole was not about to apologize however, as he turned to her completely with a disbelieving expression.

"I have no time for your sensibility mam. Clay and me have better things to do…"

He then turned away and started walking without waiting for an answer.

Clay gave her an apologetic look. Then, he reluctantly followed his pilot, while Phoebe stood there a moment longer, fuming.

Glaring at their backs one more time, she finally walked back toward the group. 

Clay hurried to reach Cole and immediately said:

"Man, you have a way with words. What the hell were you thinking about? Those people are afraid. Treating them like this will certainly not help the situation."

Although, Cole knew that he had been extremely rude to Phoebe, Clay's intervention did nothing to help his mood.

"Keep your breath for the work, will you," he replied dryly, not looking back.

"You are such an irritating bastard…"

At this, Cole turned to him with frank animosity.

"You know, I have been enduring your criticism for just long enough, Clay. I am your superior officer, and you will do as I say, and if it's at all possible, show me respect."

The rebuff startled Clay, to say the least. This is why he simply glared back without a word. There was no lost love between him and his pilot. However, Cole was more the sarcastic type and rarely got that angry. After a long moment, Cole simply turned back and started walking again, apparently convinced that he had made his point. Clay hesitated only a few more seconds. Then, he reflected that Cole might simply be reacting out of character because of the situation. 

Although, that did not make it any less insulting in his mind, Clay decided that for the time being, they should try to work together, for the sake of them all. Therefore, he followed his commanding officer. This one had found what looked like a vague path through the trees, and Clay wondered about the direction he had taken.

Cole walked fast, fuming not so much about them but himself for his outbursts. He was not in the habit of getting angry this easily, not even if he had a temper. Being a fighter pilot required control over one's emotions, and he usually succeeded very well at this. However, in the last five minutes, he had let out all of his frustrations on Phoebe and Clay. Even if he realized this however, it took him everything he had not to snap at Clay when this one came beside him, questioning:

"Do you have any idea of where we are going?"

Cole took a deep breath before answering, determined to regain control over himself.

"I thought that I saw a road back there while we were falling. There is a chance that it will give us an idea of our position. A sign or something."

Clay nodded in acquiescence, still noticing the irritation in Cole's voice, but also that this one made an effort to sound calmer. Unwilling to provoke another outburst, Clay followed Cole in silence, as the two entered deeper in the forest.

Phoebe was still very miffed at the way the pilot had treated her, but her professionalism took over, as she began taking care of the injured. The medics were busying themselves at preparing makeshift stretchers, and she only then understood the implication of what Cole said about not knowing where they were. What if they were closer to the enemy than she had thought first?

The thought was chilling, and she redoubled her efforts, trying to calm herself down through work. However, a young nurse beside her, confirmed her worst fears.

"What are we going to do," she was asking to no one in particular. 

Phoebe still replied cautiously:

"About what?"

"Didn't you hear? We have landed in Germany. Soldiers might be coming to kill us all at any moment."

Although she had believed this could be the case, hearing it only made it worse. Still, she understood the need for calm in the situation.

"We have to hope that everything will be fine," she told the nurse, who was on the verge of tears, even as she was bandaging a young man's arm.

"How," she asked, her voice trembling with the repressed sobbing.

"I am sure that it will be alright, don't worry. What is your name," she asked again, trying to distract her as much as herself.

"Paige…Paige Matthews…"

Phoebe tried to smile to the young girl:

"Well, Paige, I am Phoebe Halliwell, nice to make your acquaintance."

The girl half-smiled, obviously glad to have someone to talk to.

As they worked, they continued the small talk, which did as much good to Phoebe as it did to Paige, Phoebe had to admit.

After a while, Piper came to join them. She was obviously more optimistic than they were, and for once, Phoebe was glad that her cousin had such a carefree personality.

"Well," Piper said, "we are really the luckiest…"

Phoebe could not help a questioning frown at this.

Piper smiled at her before continuing:

"No really, think about it. We were positively falling out of the sky. We should all be dead and scattered over this field. Instead, the plane landed by some kind of miracle."

Phoebe still noted:

"Not all of us were so fortunate."

Piper became a little more serious:

"I know, but you have to admit, it might have been much worse…"

Phoebe nodded. In fact, the thought had crossed her mind. She had even been tempted to mention her vision to Piper, which in and itself was another strange occurrence. However, and in spite of what happened, she still could not believe that there was anything to it. Just a coincidence, she told herself for the umpteenth time…

It had been over an hour, and Leo looked back anxiously toward the forest. He had been doing this every now and then, worrying that both Cole and Clay would not return, or that an enemy was already on its way to them.

The temperature was cool but he felt sweat on his forehead from the effort and the worry. Turning back toward the group, he had a dizzying sensation. Everything became blurred for a moment, and he thought that he heard a couple bickering at each other, as if from a long distance. This puzzled him, but never more than what he saw next. As the blur dissipated, he saw a very different spectacle in front of him. Where there had been over 40 people a moment ago, only a handful was left… A man that he did not recognize was lying on the ground, wearing a torn pilot's uniform. A woman with disheveled brown hair was bending over him, a worried look on her face. She suddenly turned toward him:

"Can't you do anything more for him Leo?"

Eerily, he heard himself answering:

"There is nothing more to be done, Miss Johnson. I care deeply about Richard, I assure you. I have done everything that I could. Just give him some time and I am sure that he will recuperate…"

She had turned back toward the unconscious pilot then, barely reassured.

Another man in pilot's uniform, and with his arm in a large bandage, was looking upon them with a hint of irritation.

Another woman, blond with soft features, was busying herself on two more wounded. In that instant, he knew without knowing how, that her name was Lilian. Peeling his eyes from her reluctantly, he looked back at what was left of the plane. All he could see was a part of the cockpit and the cabin, while debris lied as far as he could see along a devastated trail. This did not make any sense. Everything looked wrong to him, everything that is, except the blond woman. He had felt an intense sense of recognition and affection at seeing her. 

As he turned back toward her, she smiled weakly and that was the last thing that he saw before the blur came back as fast as it had dissipated. Then Leo found that everything had returned as it was before. He even had pain remembering why he felt so strangely out of place. For a long moment, he stared at nothing in particular, trying to figure out where the sensation had come from. 

However, a series of gun shots, coming from the direction Cole had taken, brought him with a start to the present reality…


	4. The Wings of Love (Chapter IV)

Just to remind you that the Beth character, which was introduced in the preceding chapter, will be known as Lilian from now on.J 

****

The wings of Love

Chapter 

************************

Cole was bending over a deep track in the field. This was only one of many, all seemingly following a parallel path in the same direction. He stood up and turned toward Clay with a hint of apprehension.

"Well, it would seem that the Germans have moved already…"

"Are you so certain that they are going toward Belgium?"

"I would think so… Of course, it would help if we knew from where they came from…"

"The road is down there, and I think that I saw what looked like a farm. If we follow that direction, we might be able to find a sign and even some supplies, even a vehicle maybe…"

Cole let out a sarcastic short laugh:

"And you think what? That they will hand it to us graciously?"

Clay gave him an annoyed look and without waiting for an answer, took the direction he had indicated.

Cole shrugged and started behind him.

They had found the road and all the tracks surrounding it about thirty minutes after leaving the others. More than once, Cole had looked back in worry. What if someone came to attack them, while they were gone? A few of them had guns, but that was about the extent of their defenses. Still, he knew that they had to establish where they were if they were to find their way back, so he had pushed on.

As they walked, Cole could now see the farm that Clay had mentioned. In the distance, the place seemed very quiet, but he still felt the need for caution. Cole was about to call Clay on this, when he felt something under his foot. Looking down, he saw the sign that they had been looking for. It was all twisted, and he could only vaguely read the word Frankfurt on it.

This confirmed his fears about the movement of troops. They were standing behind the front. 

This alone told Cole what they would have to do, and he went after Clay faster, with his decision made.

When he reached him, they were halfway to the farm. The place still seemed very quiet. Cole was beginning to think that whoever lived there had probably deserted it after seeing the troops go by, when a strange shimmering appeared again before his eyes. Startled, he stopped. When he could see ahead again, he was surprised to find himself already in the courtyard. The place seemed just as quiet as he had seen from afar. That is, until the door to the house burst opened. Two men, hitting each other, fell through it, and rolled on the porch. Neither one seemed to see him, as they pursued the fight, screaming invectives at each other, amidst grunts of pain. 

"I told you to stay away from her, Richard!" One of them exclaimed then.

The man named Richard pushed the other toward the stairs, and as the first one stumbled down, Richard jumped at him, pinning him down.

"And I told you," the other one practically growled, "that it was her choice, not yours."

The pinned man found the strength to push the other away, who fell hard to the ground and stayed there, apparently in a daze. The second man picked up a rock lying nearby, as he stood up. Lifting his arm in the air, he was preparing to hit, when a panicked voice came from the doorway:

"Clint! No!"

The man named Clint hesitated a moment longer, as Richard was slowly coming back to his feet.

The two men glared at each other. Then, Clint reluctantly brought his arm down, dropping the rock to the ground.

In the doorway, Cole could see a woman in a tattered military uniform, and right behind her, stood Leo.

That was all he saw, as the shimmering started again, and he soon was back in the field, looking at the farm in the distance.

Clay called to him:

"Hey, what's the matter with you?"

Cole could not answer just yet. The memories of the visions were already scrambling in his mind. The little he remembered almost convinced him to turn around. However, he still could not believe that it was real. His problem was that he thought he was going insane. He was certainly not about to tell Clay about this.

"What do you mean," he curtly asked instead.

"I lost you there for a minute," Clay answered, ignoring his tone of voice. "I was asking you what you thought of this place, but for all I knew you might have been on Mars…"

"What the hell are you talking about," Cole replied irritably. 

Clay shrugged just as irritably:

"Never mind. So, do you think that we should still have a look? This place seems deserted."

Cole hesitated still. He felt confused, trying to remember what he had just seen. Nevertheless, there was the possibility that they would find supplies there, and even a compass, which would be of use to them.

"We go on, and reconnoiter the place, but cautiously. There still might be surprises."

As if on cue, they heard an engine in the farthest. 

Cole saw the outline of the fighter plane coming their way and urged Clay ahead. 

"Come on, let's get to the farm…"

Even as he started after him, Clay commented:

"You are not worried about what we will find there anymore?"

"I am more worried about being a sitting duck. Still, keep your eyes opened," he added, thinking back of the vision. They made it to the farm, but although they managed to take cover, they had not been fast enough to avoid detection. The fighter pilot made a few passes over the farm. Then, he opened fire. The bullets rained down toward them, missing their hiding place by very little.

Cole exclaimed:

"That's German pilots for you. Shoot first, ask questions never…"

Clay gave an impatient look at Cole but did not reply, as he saw the pilot coming around for another pass, firing his guns blindly but still too close to Clay and Cole for comfort. 

These two watched the plane moving away again, and fearing another attack, they tried to reach the house. However, the pilot took a different direction then, and they realized anxiously that he might have spotted the smoke from the wreckage. Barely hesitating, they began running back toward the forest…

Leo jumped at the noise, fearing for his friend, but also for all of them, as he caught sight of the still thick smoke emanating from the plane. He could now hear distinctly the sound of a plane engine and, turning toward the group, he ran to them.

Most of the wounded were already on the stretchers, fortunately, and in spite of his worry for some of them, he knew that they had to evacuate immediately.

"Hurry, get those stretchers and go further in the forest," he screamed around.

None of them needed to be told twice, as they had all heard the gun shots. Another round was fired, covering the noise of the engine, as they picked up the stretchers and hurried away. They were trying hard not to panic. Leo helped starting them on their way, but soon he came back to watch for his friend. He was worried sick and jumped at Phoebe's voice beside him:

"Do you think that they will be ok?"

His reaction was of irritation:

"You should be with the others, it's too dangerous here."

Phoebe did not let it influence her:

"So should you," she replied firmly.

Leo cast a curious look her way but kept silent, as he resumed his watch. 

There had not been any more gunshots, but the plane was obviously circling close by. This did not do anything to reassure him. Even less so, when he realized that the engine suddenly revved up and he could hear it coming their way. 

Nervously, he took Phoebe's arm and pulled her under cover, in spite of her protestations.

Not a second too soon, as looking up, he saw the plane coming over the smoking wreckage.

He pushed Phoebe to the ground at this point, to make absolutely sure, and she protested louder but still stayed down. He could feel her shaking now. However, it did not keep her from questioning again:

"You have not answered my question. Do you think that they will be ok?"

Leo looked away, biting his lips with concern. Still, he made himself sound reassuring:

"If I know Cole, and I think that I do, he would not be put down by a few gunshots. And neither would Clay," he added, although he was not certain who she was really worried about.

The plane circled the crash site many times, obviously looking for survivors. The pilot even shot a few rounds in the plane and the surroundings, giving Leo and Phoebe a scare. Nevertheless, after a few minutes, he seemed to give up and went back in the direction he had come from.

Leo did not breathe easier until he could not hear the engine anymore, and even then, he took a moment before getting up.

"Well, I hope that we won't have any more surprises…"

Phoebe brushed herself as she got up in turn, but she did not comment. In fact, she was wondering why she stayed there at all. All she knew was that she had to be there. Her and Leo watched anxiously, for what seemed like an eternity. 

Phoebe was the first one to see the two pilots emerging from the trail, and she felt such relief as she had never known before. It took her everything not to run to them, but she was afraid to give away how she felt, whatever that really was. She was still very confused about it.

Leo noticed them before she could say a thing and he went toward them instead.

"Hey guys, glad to see you in one piece."

"Same about you," was Cole's relieved answer. " Where is everybody else?"

"I sent them further under cover. Luckily, the pilot did not see us."

Cole and Clay looked at each other.

"Well, he did see us, as you must have heard even from here. I hope that he is not going to send a search party," Cole added then. 

"At any rate," he continued, "if you are ready, I don't think that we should stay around here any longer."

"Where are we and where are we going," Leo asked. However, his friend was no longer paying attention, as he spotted Phoebe, a little ways behind him. 

He instinctively took one step toward her, only now realizing how much he had feared for her. However, seeing him moving toward her, she looked away and stepped back in the forest, to his utter disappointment. He almost went on after her but Clay's voice brought him back to the problem at hand.

"Cole, you have not told me either where we were supposed to go."

Reluctantly, he reported his attention toward the men:

"I am convinced that we are stuck between Frankfurt and the front. This makes it unlikely that we could go directly toward allied territory. I think that we should go south and try to find a way through the border."

"Hum," Clay uttered, "the battles are raging all along this border. It might be difficult to find a spot, particularly with such a large group. Maybe we should wait in the farm we saw earlier. At least until we can…I don't know, commandeer a vehicle, and give time for the wounded to heal."

Cole found that this idea seemed oddly familiar, but it also made him uncomfortable. Without knowing exactly why, he was convinced that this had been done and not with a very good result, whatever the unpleasant sensation was.

"Leo," Cole then asked, "do you think that your people can do this?"

"We won't be very fast," Leo said hesitantly.

Cole added then:

"It's ok. We will stick to the forest mostly and rest often… But we have to move soon."

Leo was uncomfortable at the idea of a long trek in the circumstances, but he deferred to his friend's judgement and simply nodded in acquiescence.

"Let's go back to the others, then." He finally said.

Leo turned back, vaguely searching for Phoebe. He wondered why she had left after staying there even through the danger, but now was not the time for conjectures.

It had been almost two days, and they had not gone very far. First, Clay had convinced them to return to the farm, where they had indeed found some supplies. They also found out that, as Clay and Cole had assumed, the place had been abandoned in a hurry. As they were gathering all they could find of use, Cole kept looking around, half expecting to see someone coming out of one or another room. He had no idea why, but could not help it. In the end however, he realized that no one was there.

Then, the effort of carrying the more severely wounded had not helped them doing good time. However, they had not either met any enemies on their way and they were grateful for this. Cole did not like the idea of following a vague direction, so he made the decision to find a sure sign that they were going the right way. He had to admit to himself that he felt the need to be by himself as well, although he truly believed it to be the right thing to do. Their finding an abandoned cottage on the way gave him the opportunity. The place was not large, but it would provide a better shelter for the wounded than the vague cover of trees and the thin blankets. In addition, Leo told him that if they could stay there a couple days, the rest would benefit everyone greatly.

The idea that he would go away alone provoked some protestations, however.

Leo and even Clay disagreed with letting him go by himself:

"This is insane. What if you were discovered," Leo asked somewhat anxiously.

"Come on, we have been walking as a group and have met no one. I am sure that I will be safe by myself. In fact, it should be easier to stay unseen…"

"I still don't think that this is wise," Clay added. "We have a good idea of the direction. You do not need to go off your own like this."

"I disagree," Cole replied. "For all we know, we might be going further into enemy territory. What good would it do to us…"

Clay shrugged, unable to find an argument against that. However, the protest that surprised him the most came from Phoebe, who had obviously been listening in to their exchange.

"This is insane. We are much better off sticking together…"

Cole turned in surprise at her voice. He thought that he could hear some fear in it and wondered if she worried about him, or simply for the safety of all.

Ever since they had returned from the reconnaissance, he had tried to talk to her many times, but she had stayed aloof, mostly avoiding him. His only consolation was that she was not talking to Clay either. 

She had apparently found some replacement for the glasses, but the one she wore now did not hide her features. They were only small round spectacles, probably taken from one of the men's packages. 

"Nice of you to worry about me," he replied with a grin.

"I am only worried about the fact that we have very few able combatants, and we will need each of you if we meet an enemy."

The grin vanished from his lips then:

"As I told Leo and Clay, I believe it necessary."

"Hum." She uttered, as she turned away from them.

He frowned, wondering what she was not saying.

"Hey, if you have something else to ad, feel free," he called back irritably.

She looked back reluctantly, but firmly replied:

"I think that you find it hard to take charge of other people. In your fighter plane, you do not have to…"

He did not like the way this was going, particularly that he had himself reflected about it earlier, but could not help insisting:

"What are you insinuating?"

"Simply that maybe you prefer working on your own because this is too much pressure on you."

"The nerve of you," he almost screamed. Nevertheless, she sustained his stare, pursuing:

"You asked me for my opinion, you have it." She said then. 

After a moment longer, where they both glared at each other angrily, she moved away decisively, leaving him utterly frustrated.

For a while, he had thought that he had seen a softer side of her. However, at this point, he understood that it had been wishful thinking on his part. He did not even know why it bothered him so much.

Clay's mocking comment did not do anything for his mood:

"Well, she told you, didn't she?"

Cole fought to regain his countenance and even managed a sarcastic grin, as he faced Clay again.

"Huh, she is just a brat. Your brat…"

Clay answered with the same tone of voice:

"Suits me just fine…"

Leo watched the two men in puzzlement. He thought that he saw something unusual in his friend's attitude and he wondered about it, even as they returned toward the cottage, and Cole prepared to leave.

At last, he could not stand it anymore, and even as Cole was about to walk away, he came to him and questioned:

"Hey, is everything all right?"

"You mean besides the fact that we are stranded on enemy ground?"

Leo shrugged the sarcastic comment aside:

"I mean that you are acting a little out of character lately…"

"What on earth makes you say that?"

"I don't know, it's an impression. Like the way you treat that girl…"

"Please, let's not talk about that nurse. She is insufferable…"

Leo looked at him even more questioningly:

"See, that is what I mean. Besides Clay, I have never known you to dislike another person so much. And of course, I know very well why you do not get along with that one."

This picked Cole's interest:

"And why would that be?"

Leo smiled frankly at this:

"I am not sure that you want me to tell you this…"

"Oh come on, now that you have started…"

"Well, I have this feeling that you are competing in the same areas, and that you are way too alike for comfort."

Cole frowned unhappily at this:

"You are not saying what I think you are saying…You cannot tell me that I am anything like this asshole."

"See, I told you that you would not want to hear it…"

"You are crazy, you know that," Cole asked irritably.

"I don't think so," Leo replied confidently.

Cole was unwilling to let his friend analyze him any further:

"I have to go, but work on this insanity of yours. I am nothing like Clay, and that's that…"

He turned around before Leo could ad anything and was on his way shortly.

The night was falling rapidly. Cole had chosen to use the cover of darkness for his reconnaissance, but that also slowed down his advance in the thick forest. He had been walking for over an hour, when he heard a branch cracking behind him. Immediately alerted, he pulled the gun from his belt and looked back anxiously. When seeing nothing, he berated himself, thinking that it must have been an animal. He still kept the gun in hands as he resumed his walk. He took only a few more steps however, before he distinctly heard another noise, closer this time. 

Crazy or not, he did not want to take the chance, and he took cover in the underbrush, watching the direction he had come from.

After only a few minutes, he saw a vague shape coming toward him, one that definitely did not belong to any animal. Poised for a fight, he tensed and waited. As the intruder came closer, he seemed to hesitate, looking around, as if searching for something or someone. Cole got the distinct impression that he had followed him and this did not reassure him in the least, although it puzzled him. If an enemy had spotted him, then why did he not attack right away?

The man was of an oddly short stature, which did nothing to enlighten Cole. It was only when he came close enough and Cole jumped out of his hiding place, gun at the ready, that he understood his mistake. The distinctly feminine scream of fright surprised him.

"What the hell," he exclaimed, as he strained to look closer at her face. She had a cap on her head that made her difficult to recognize in the darkness, but he noticed the glasses and knew right away who that must be.

"Miss Halliwell?" He asked in astonishment and irritation.

Phoebe had gone after him on an impulse, not even knowing why. She had rationalized that if no one was going to, she might as well. 

"Are you insane," he was asking a little too loud.

"No more than you," she replied defiantly.

"What air head idea got into you? Don't you know how dangerous these parts are?"

"I figured that they were just as dangerous for you…"

"And," he asked, still incredulous.

"There are enough people to take care of the wounded at the camp. I thought that if you were crazy enough to risk your life like this, I might as well follow you and possibly help if you get hurt."

A vague smile began playing on his lips.  
"So… You were worried about me after all. How sweet of you," he added mockingly.

She bit her lips before answering:

"I am only worried that you won't come back and do what you are supposed to. Which is lead us out of this country…"

"Right," he replied, obviously unconvinced.

Even her knew how weak this excuse was, but she stuck to it nevertheless, and she replied disdainfully:

"Think what you want…"

"Well," he said then, barely keeping the irritation from his voice, "I can't say that I had counted on anyone tagging along. I would have much preferred if you would have stayed put."

Moving ahead of him, she gave him no other choice:

"I am coming with you and that's that."

He watched her going for a moment, and then with a sigh, he followed her.

Leo was not sleepy and offered to take the first watch that night. They were not too worried at the moment, but it was still a sound precaution. The quiet of the night gave him time to think, and he could not help turning in his mind what he had felt about his friend. 

He still wondered about this intense reaction of his to the nurse. After all the disrespectful comments that he had made about her, Leo had to wonder what she had done to him to warrant them. An idea was starting to form in his mind about it, when he heard the worried call of Piper coming out of the cabin:

"Phoebe?"

He turned curiously, but was still glad to see her. They had very little time in the last two days, but he had used every opportunity to spend time with the young nurse. However, now she seemed upset as he went to her:

"What is it?"

"It's my cousin Phoebe. She went out almost an hour ago, and never came back… Then, I found this on her pillow," she said, extending a piece of folded paper toward Leo.

Leo frowned:

"What," he questioned hesitantly. He picked up the paper and after reading what it said, he gave an astounded look at Piper.

"What was she thinking?"

Piper grew more anxious as she replied:

"I have no idea, it's so unlike her."

"Unlike whom," Clay interrupted, as he came out of the cottage in turn.

Piper turned nervously toward Clay:

"Phoebe…She went after the pilot…"

"What?"

Clay was flabbergasted. The way she had ignored him in the last few days disappointed him, but would never have believed that she would go after Cole. Not after the way they treated each other.

"What on earth for?" He asked.

"I don't know either. She told me that she despised the man…"

Leo was listening to this and the idea that had been forming became clearer by the moment.

The other two noticed his silence.

"What do you think," Piper asked Leo.

"I really don't know," he said nevertheless. He had a pretty good idea, but did not want to get into this.

"All I know is that if she is with Cole, you should not worry about her. He will not let anything happen to her…"

"Speak for yourself," Clay uttered, already moving toward the forest.

Leo called to him:

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going after them, and I will bring her back here, what do you think?"

"This is not wise, we are already spread thin enough as it is. Besides, they have over an hour on you. I assure you, Cole will not let her get hurt."

Clay hesitated. He knew instinctively that her going after him was not good for him. He had become quite fond of the young woman, but now she was showing interest in his rival. How could this have happened, he questioned himself. Still, he had to admit that Leo was right. He might just be searching for hours and still not find them anyway. Reluctantly, he backed down.

Piper still insisted however:

"Are you sure that she will be ok?"

Leo could not be certain, but he did not let her see this. Phoebe had chosen to take that risk. They could not expose themselves because of her recklessness, even if he was also worried.

"I'm sure," he answered firmly.

"I hope that you are right."

Leo added to himself:

"I hope so too…"

After a few hours, Cole and Phoebe arrived in front of a large field. The sun would be coming up soon and Cole stopped Phoebe, as she was about to step in the open.

"I think that we should stay put until tonight…"

"Why?"

"Don't you see," he replied impatiently, "if we are into this field in broad day light, there won't be anywhere to hide if we are spotted. The sun will be coming up soon… Besides, Leo has assured me that they would be fine for a few days. We could both use the rest anyway."

"I guess," she answered reluctantly. 

Until now, they had walked mostly in silence, and there had not been any more discussion about her motivations. This had suited her just fine… However, the idea of spending the day with nothing else to do but sleep and talk made her uncomfortable.

"What if someone comes?"

"Don't worry, I'll watch for you…"

She had to admit that she was very tired, and without another word, she went to lean against a tree nearby, pulling the heavy coat she was wearing around her.

Cole hesitated. Then he came toward her.

"May I," he asked, indicating the ground beside her.

She frowned, looking away.

"I guess… But don't get any ideas…"

"Far from me," he answered mockingly, as he sat beside her and extended his legs, grateful for the respite. 

Phoebe was already confused enough by her impulse of coming after him. Now, she felt scared by the one she was having right this moment. She wanted only to lean against him and feel his arms around her. Berating herself for this sudden weakness, she resolutely took off the glasses, and closed her eyes, determined to find relief in sleep.

He would not let her right away, however:

"You know that you are really pretty," he said, surprising her. "Now that these ugly spectacles were lost, I really think that you should find some that are more suited to you."

"You really are rude, you know that? You managed to compliment me and insult me at the same time…"

"It wasn't meant…"

"Please let me get some sleep," she said again curtly, as she turned resolutely away.

Cole did not understand what was his problem with her. He had never had any trouble charming his way into any girl's heart. Yet, now, he could not find a single witty thing to say. He watched her for a long time, even after she fell asleep. His puzzlement only deepened as strange feelings invaded him. After a while however, the fatigue took over. Without realizing it, he also fell asleep. 

The guttural voices woke him up with a start, as he tried to remember where he was. It was obviously early morning, although still too dark for him to distinguish who was there, and the spotlight in his face almost blinded him. He felt the weight of Phoebe's head lifting from his shoulder, where she had apparently ended up during their sleep, and he heard her scream of fright. He was angry with himself for falling asleep. Nevertheless, he had no time to dwell on this, as he realized how frightened she must have been.

He found her arm blindly and squeezed it gently, in an attempt to reassure her, even though he was not at all reassured himself. Then he tried again to get a good look at the intruders, even as they spoke in German.

"Aufstehen (get up)," one of the voices was saying imperatively.

Cole did not understand, but it did not take long for him to get the gist of it when a man in German uniform bent toward him and rudely pulled him to his feet, pointing a gun toward his chest. Another had done the same for Phoebe, and her protestations made him look back. He tried to go after her, but the man that was holding him shoved the gun practically in his mouth.

"Aufenthalt hier (Stay here),"the soldier screamed.

Cole did not need any translation there, but he glared at him even under the threat.

"Cole," Phoebe called nervously.

"Stay calm," he uttered, as confidently as he could muster, under the circumstances.

He could now see that there were only three of them, and he evaluated his chances, even as the first man dragged him off.

When he heard Phoebe grunt in pain, he did not hesitate anymore. Grabbing the man, who had dropped the gun slightly in order to pull him away, he hit him hard in the face, grabbing the weapon in doing so, and then turned resolutely toward the one holding Phoebe. This one leveled his own gun toward Cole and began pulling the trigger…


	5. The Wings of Love (Chapter V)

The Wings of Love

**_Chapter V_******

**************************

**          Piper woke up with a start, without knowing exactly why, but with a fear gripping her insides. In spite of the early hour, she could not go back to sleep. Shook, she dressed up and went out of the cottage, stumbling on Leo, which had apparently not slept a wink. He looked haggard and worried. This did nothing to comfort Piper.**

**"Good morning," she said, without enthusiasm.**

**"You are up early," he replied, trying to sound more joyous than he felt.**

**"I couldn't sleep anymore. I had the most awful sensation…"**

**Leo grimaced in sympathy.**

**"Are you ok?"**

**"I'll be fine, but I'm worried about Phoebe. Do you think that they will make it alright?"**

**Leo looked toward the forest with a sigh:**

**"We have to hope so…"**

**          Phoebe thought that everything happened at once very fast and slow. One moment, the soldier was pulling her away; the next, his gun was at the ready, and she had no difficulties guessing toward whom. She had no idea where she pulled it from, but in that instant, she kicked the gun out of the soldier's hand. It was too late however to prevent him from shooting. The sound seemed to explode in her ears, while she imagined that Cole must have been hit. Then, almost simultaneously, another shot resounded, followed by a muffled scream. Again, without thinking, she pushed the soldier away from herself and turned toward Cole, relieved to see him only holding his arm, but still keeping his gun pointed at two of the soldiers. One of them had obviously been the one shot, as he lied on the forest floor, unmoving. In the semi-darkness, she could not tell if he was still alive. She anxiously reported her attention to Cole, only to see the first soldier getting to his feet and going after Cole.**

**Afterward, she would ask herself how she could have been so bold. However, in the moment, she never even doubted, as she dashed toward the soldier, passed Cole, who seemed transfixed by her reaction.  The German soldier obviously had not expected such resistance from a woman, because he stopped short at her advance, and barely defended himself as she kicked him in the groin, sending him back on the ground, almost folded in two and moaning in pain.**

**Cole finally reacted to this, and, still holding his arm, he signaled to the other soldier standing to join the first one. The gun barrel easily overcame the language barrier and this one did not hesitate to comply.**

**"Wow, lady, I would not have thought that you had it in you!" He exclaimed then.**

**Phoebe wanted to give him some smart reply, but now that the adrenaline was going back to a normal level, she could not find her voice. In fact, she thought that her legs were made of lead, and only her worry for Cole gave her the strength to move back toward him, intent on treating the wound.**

**"Don't worry about it," he said, as soon as she tried.**

**She was still trying to lift up his sleeve, but he pulled away.**

**"I said that I'd be fine," he uttered, suddenly irritated, "we have bigger problems than this scratch, if you know what I mean," he added, since she was getting upset.**

**Unfortunately, this little discussion had distracted him long enough for the first soldier to pull a knife out of his boot, as he was getting up. When Cole looked back, the man was already moving fast toward Phoebe. Seeing what his companion was doing, the second one was dashing for the gun left on the ground. Cole saw that he had no option and pushed Phoebe rudely aside, shooting both men quickly. **

**Phoebe screamed, at first frightened, and then horrified. **

**"What did you do?"**

**Cole was too shocked himself to answer right away. In the heat of the moment, he had not hesitated. However now, looking at the men lying on the ground, he felt noxious at what he had done. For the length of his army time, he had never seen a man dying by his hand. Yet, in these short instants, three men had. Granted, the first one had been mostly an accident in reaction, and he could claim self-defense for these two as well.  Nevertheless, this shook him to the core of his being, and Phoebe's reproaches did nothing to help.**

**"What kind of a monster are you? I should have known that all of you pilots are just stupid out of control cowboys."**

**Phoebe was very upset, and until then, she had only stared at the inert bodies of the soldiers. However, Cole's lack of response made her look back. He seemed transfixed, with the gun still pointed in the soldiers' direction. As she looked, he slowly let his arm fall to his side, unflinching, and Phoebe sensed that she might have gone too far in her reaction. **

**"Captain?"**

**He frowned slightly, but did not answer.**

**Nevertheless, when Phoebe tried to apologize for her outburst, he stopped her.**

**"We have to go," he said hoarsely.**

**As quickly as her anger had deflated, it came back.**

**"You want to leave them like this?"**

**Cole cleared his throat, obviously trying to contain himself:**

**"The shots will have been heard from far away, even possibly by their unit." **

**"Unit?"**

**"You did not think that those guys were alone around here, did you."**

**As he was saying this, he moved toward the field and looked out, expecting soldiers to be coming fast. Indeed, he saw something moving, but that was at the other end of the field.**

**"And here they are…" he said with a hint of fatality to his voice. Then, he added more firmly, "We still have time. Let's go!" This while turning back toward the woods, but again in the opposite direction to the cottage…**

**Phoebe stood unmoving, however. **

**"What are you waiting for?" Cole asked irritably when he realized that she was not following.**

**She was looking back at the body with obvious uncertainty. Exasperated, he called back to her:**

**"Hey, they will take care of them. We don't have time to worry about burials…"**

**The comment put an end to her hesitations.**

**"Shouldn't we return to the others before we get into more trouble?"**

**Firmly this time, he answered:**

**"I said that I would found out if we were going in the right direction, and I will not go back until I know…"**

**Phoebe bit her lips, tempted to get angry at his attitude. However, an idea had already formed in her mind in the event that he would say this.**

**"Then, maybe we should do something to be less conspicuous."**

**This took him by surprise:**

**"What the hell do you mean?" He asked, even if he suspected.**

**"When in Rome…"**

**"You cannot be serious," he said, looking back at the dead soldiers with an appalled expression.**

**"Do you have any idea what they do to military personal who do this sort of things? We would be summarily shot as spies, but not before they had tortured us…"**

**In spite of his alarmist comments, she decisively turned to the first soldier and bending over him, she began undoing his uniform, as she answered.**

**"Well, from the look of things earlier, I would say that we were not in a very good situation either. If we keep to ourselves, I am sure that we can stay out of trouble… After all," she added, "we are not after any big military secret…"**

**He sighed heavily, but since she was already doing it, he reluctantly came back and bent toward the second fallen soldier.**

**Even then, he hesitated still. He looked back, as she had almost removed the tunic from the other one already. She seemed so calm and composed.**

**"How do you do it?"**

**"Do what?" She asked, not slowing down her task.**

**"I thought that you would be a little more squeamish at this…"**

**"I am a nurse, and even if do not like it, I have seen dead people before…"**

**"I guess," he answered.**

**She felt that he was uncertain and looked up.**

**"You should hurry," she said then, "you told me yourself that we did not have much time."**

**When he was not reacting still, she added:**

**"Do not tell me that you cannot do that…"**

**He shrugged with a hint of embarrassment.**

**"I…Well, I cannot say that I have seen many dead people this close myself…"**

**Phoebe returned to her grim task, while pursuing:**

**"I knew that they pampered pilots but this is ridiculous…maybe the next time you shoot a plane down, you will realize that it was not only a machine or a game score…"**

**He was angry with her for this, but in truth, the thought had already crossed his mind. He simply did not like to hear it from her.**

**Still, he knew that time was not on their side and he surmounted his reluctance, undressing the second soldier as fast as he could. **

**Once they were done however, another thought hit him.**

**"You know, when they see those two half naked bodies, I do not think that it will take them long to figure out what happened…"**

**"Maybe so, but hopefully by then, we will have put some distance between them and us. Let's not lose any more time," she said again. This time she was the one in a hurry, and she did not turn back to see if he was behind her.  
Cole gave one last look to the dead men, and then he followed her quickly.**

**          That afternoon, they found what they were looking for, even though they had spent the day constantly watching their back. Fortunately, no one followed them, and they found a road, running along the course of a wide river. About a mile down that road, they found a sign indicating that this river was the Rhine. This was the best bet that they had at finding a way out.**

**"If I am not mistaken," Cole said, "this river runs all the way toward Switzerland. There is not much combat on that border, and I am sure that we could cross it."**

**"Switzerland? Are we even sure how far this is?"**

**"A good way I would say, but maybe once the others are with us, we could try to steal a few vehicles…"**

**"Hum," Phoebe said dubiously.**

**He ignored her doubts, and signaled instead that they should go back.**

**On their way, they were even more wary, as they were coming too close for comfort to the site of the attack. Indeed, as night was falling, Cole stopped short at one point, lifting his hand to stop her as well. Phoebe took a deep breath, suddenly more worried.**

**Although, it seemed to be coming from a ways, they distinctly heard voices, and cracking sounds that echoed in the forest. **

**"Huh, huh," Cole uttered. "I think that we should find a place to hide, and quickly." Then, turning to her:**

**"Unless, you think that we can try our luck at fooling these guys?"**

**Phoebe shrugged, and he gave her a short but satisfied smile. This, even as he carefully moved toward the thicker part of the woods…**

**Whoever was coming did not make any effort to conceal their advance, and this served their purpose very well, as they most certainly would not hear Cole and Phoebe.**

**They had moved about a hundred feet painfully, as the woods were getting thicker for every step, when Cole stopped again. It was almost completely dark except for the moonlight, and Phoebe nearly bumped into him. She grunted irritably, but he ignored it.  Instead, he was looking down and to the side of them closely.**

**"What is it," she whispered, now more curious than irritated.**

**"Come with me," he answered shortly.**

**Instead, she watched him moving away for about ten feet and seemingly disappear… **

**She was so surprised that she almost called to him. She stopped herself just in time. Then, she watched the spot where he had vanished in bewilderment, until she saw him again, almost jumping out of her skin.**

**He gestured impatiently for her to follow, and this time, she cautiously did. **

**Once she got closer, she saw what had happened, but she was amazed that he might have found this in the dark.**

**"How did you...?" she asked, while contemplating the mouth of a cavern with an entrance barely large enough to let them in.**

**"It looked darker than the rest," he simply answered, pulling her toward the cave.**

**Phoebe did not like this very much, but it was still better than staying in the open at the mercy of a search party.**

**Cole could not really tell her that he had felt an irresistible pull toward this cave. He had not even really seen it, but had known of it almost instinctively. The situation again kept him from dwelling on this strange event. As they entered the cave, they found it to be cramped and damp. There was just enough room for them to sit and wait however. **

**Phoebe then watched the opening of the cave anxiously.**

**"You should try to get some sleep," Cole said, "I will watch out for them…"**

**Phoebe could not help the crack:**

**"Like you did this morning?"**

**The cave was darker than the surrounding, but he still thought that he saw a little smile floating on her lips, and simply kept the offended reply to himself.**

**"Anyway," she pursued, "I might as well take the first watch. I am too nervous to sleep…"**

**"Are you sure?"**

**"Yes. I will wake you up in a few hours." Then, as an afterthought, "and don't worry, I will not fall asleep on the job…"**

**This time, he distinctly heard the mocking tone, but even if it was a little hard on his pride, he refrained from reacting to it. As he settled down, he could not help touching her, as there was very little room to maneuver in this place. For a moment, he had an almost irresistible urge to pull her toward him, particularly that he thought he felt her reacting at his touch. However, she kept her eyes toward the cave entrance, and he decided that he must have imagined it. Even as he felt himself drifting into sleep, he could not help being disappointed by this. **

**Phoebe had felt a pleasant chill at his touch but she tried her best to quash the urge to turn to him.  It reminded her with a little discomfort of the awkward moment this morning when they had changed into the German uniforms. **

**He had acted as a gentleman by turning his back to her while she changed, surprising her. However, she had not been too certain that he would keep his promise and watched him herself.**

**In spite of her, she had admired his strong body, his muscles rippling as he was changing, and only when he had called to know if she was done, had she managed to pull herself away from the contemplation. Before answering, she had quickly finished changing, looking away. However, the red coloring of her cheeks was still very much obvious when he turned to her.**

**The amused smile that had formed on his lips at that moment told Phoebe that he had noticed and it only increased her embarrassment, as she avoided his stare and moved away without a word. For a long time afterward, she had felt very self-conscious, but to her relief, he had not said anything about it. Even now, Phoebe could feel her cheeks warming up at the thought, and she did not know what she would have done if he had insisted.**

**The sounds of a group of people approaching noisily grew rapidly louder, and this interrupted her train of thought. She distinctly heard them beating the bushes, no doubt searching for anyone lying there in hiding. Silently, she thanked Cole and their luck for this cave, as the search party moved away. Only then did she allow herself to breathe normally. She had been tempted to shake Cole awake, but had feared that if he uttered a sound, it might have alerted the soldiers.**

**She listened intently for a long moment still, but no one else came, and at last, she let herself relax.  In the returning quiet, she could hear Cole' steady breathing, telling her that he had slept through. For a short moment, she felt irritation at this, but she knew that like her, he must have been exhausted. Only nerves were keeping her awake at this point. **

**Again, she concentrated on the forest's noises, and almost jumped when Cole's arm came to rest around her waist. She almost protested, but saw that he was still sound asleep. If at first, she felt uncomfortable at this, she soon realized that she felt good in his arms, and she almost pulled away, ashamed at her own reaction. The night was very cold however, and at last, she rationalized that they would keep each other warm this way.**

**          A few hours later, Cole woke up slowly, feeling the hard floor of the cave and wondering where he was for a moment. His arm was still wrapped around Phoebe. When he became aware of this, he also remembered where he was, and almost pulling away.  Nevertheless, it felt so right that he simply prolonged the moment, still pretending to be asleep and enjoying her proximity, even if with a little remorse at his trickery. He could recall her expression of the morning, and how he had let himself think for a moment that she might be interested. Even now, holding her, he wondered why this should matter so much to him…**

**Phoebe was fighting sleep and had been about to wake him, but it did not take her long to notice the change in his breathing. She knew that he was already awake, yet she did nothing to show it at first. After the awkwardness of the first few minutes, she had felt safe in his arms, and she was not ready to let it go. She knew that the moment she acknowledged him, she would try to deny this feeling.  She was almost tempted to let herself fall asleep in turn instead, but her pride would not let her, as he would surely have mocked her about it.**

**Reluctantly, she pulled his arm off her, knowing that he was only letting her. She worried that he would try something more, but he continued the pretense, as she then uttered:**

**"Hey, it's your turn."**

**He gave a very good show of waking up, and then:**

**"Well, and there I thought that I would catch you sleeping…"**

**She should have been upset with him for this little trick. Nevertheless, she could not…**

**Half-heartedly, she bantered:**

**"Now we know who is the most reliable here…"**

**He knew that she had not really meant it this time. There was a quality about her voice, something different. He almost asked her about it, but already, she was lying back, and closed her eyes in turn. Until then, he had ostensibly looked away, apparently already concentrating on the watch, but as soon as he thought that she was asleep, he turned toward her. She had taken off the glasses, and in the beam of moonlight that came in through the cave's entrance, he could see the soft features that had struck him only two days earlier at the crash site. She was so beautiful. He still could not believe that he had not seen it before. **

**Even so, he wondered if his appreciation of her appearance was truly because of her beauty or simply because of what he had felt even before he knew. **

**He had been aware from the start that there was a connection of sort between them, which had not gone well with him. He was accustomed to be able to choose, as he had never had any problems getting any girl to like him. So why, he had asked himself, would I want anything to do with an ugly duckling like this woman? Ever since he had found her to be a swan, he had felt an increasing shame at his own superficial judgment. Even more so when he had realized that Clay, of all people, saw what he would not, and went for her. Until he had awakened with her in his arms, he had still believed that she would never let him close. She would have had every right, considering the way he had treated her. He did not really know why he reacted so badly toward her, but only knew that every single reproach she gave him, however small, were almost physically painful to him.**

**In her sleep, she smiled softly and he felt the intense desire that this smile be for him alone. Without thinking, he slowly bent toward her. However, before he could touch her lips, the strange shimmering began again. **

**He found himself strangely hiding behind a tree, from where he observed the same girl he had seen at the farm earlier, with the man called Clint. He had no idea who they really were, but as they embraced, he became almost physically ill with jealousy.**

**He saw the other man from the farm coming toward them, obviously just as angry. Leo was close behind him trying to restrain him.**

**"Richard, calm down!"**

**"Calm down," he questioned angrily, turning halfway toward him still walking fast,  "this bastard is putting ideas in her head and stealing her from me!"**

**"Richard, he was not the one who put Daisy in your arms last night!"**

**"You know perfectly well that she came to me, not the reverse."**

**Leo tried his best to keep his voice down, as they were closing in on the couple.**

**"Nevertheless, that is not what it looked like to Amelia…"**

**Richard stopped short:**

**"I could have explained it to her if Clint had not taken her away. He filled her head with lies about me…"**

**Leo could not help showing his dubiousness:**

**"Richard…Were you not the same man who told me only a week ago that you did not need love in your life?"**

**Richard shrugged angrily, but still turned back toward the couple.**

**He began calling:**

**"Amelia! Please Amelia, you have to listen to me!"**

**The girl turned toward him with obvious anger in her eyes.**

**"There is nothing more to say. Clint warned me about you, but I did not want to hear it."**

**Richard seemed desperate:**

**"I swear to you, it was not what it looked like."**

**"So, you are saying that it was not you with this…this girl," she spat, "kissing her like there was no tomorrow."**

**The shameful expression that appeared on his face apparently sufficed to convince Amelia.**

**"I know that until we are out of this mess, I have no choice but to see you. However, I do not want you to touch me or talk to me ever again. When we escaped this accursed country," she continued harshly, "you will never try to see me again."**

**Before Richard could ad a thing, she turned resolutely toward Clint:**

**"Please, let's go…"**

**"Amelia," Richard tried again painfully. Nevertheless, she turned her back to him. Then, her and Clint were coming toward Cole, who still had very conflicted emotions about this scene. He felt that this was connected to him somehow. Yet, until the last moment, he did not understand why. That is when he looked at the girl named Amelia again. His eyes rounded in surprise when he realized that it was not the same girl anymore. In her place, Phoebe was leaning on the one named Clint, but this one now looked like his copilot, Clay…**

**As the shimmering started again, he caught a glimpse of Richard, still unmoving. In front of his eyes, the man morphed into his own image, and then he was back in the cave, astounded and clueless as to what had just happened…**

**It had seemed to last a long moment, but he found himself still bending toward Phoebe, and this one moaned in her sleep. He hesitated, but the temptation was too great and he moved closer still. However, as their lips were about to meet, he stopped in dismay when she uttered:**

**"Clay…"**


	6. The Wings of Love (Chapter VI)

The Wings of Love

****

Chapter VI 

***************************

**          Phoebe saw the shimmering fading away, and it was as if no intervening time had passed. In front of her, through the window, the blue lightning was dissipating. However, a pink one, just forming, soon followed it. Looking down, she saw that Jason was thankfully fast asleep in her arms. Then, after a few seconds of wondering, an idea popped in her mind and she turned irritably toward Cole:**

**"What the hell did you do?"**

**"Me?" He answered hesitantly, not really looking at her. Instead, he was watching the phenomenon with an obvious guilty expression.**

**"You promised!" Phoebe added.**

**Biting his lips, he said then:**

**"Why do you assume it's my fault?"**

**"Cole!" **

**Before she could get a straight answer from him however, the old couple's bickering got her attention again.**

**The woman was obviously very upset, watching the strange lightning through the window:**

**"It's happening again. Just like during the war."**

**The man answered impatiently:**

**"Not that again, this is crazy talk!"**

**"It does not matter whether you believe it or not. I am telling you, I have been having visions again, and this lightning…"**

**Even as she was saying this, Phoebe was astounded to see her morphing into a different person, one that looked oddly familiar.**

**The man added, now a little nervous:**

**"You know perfectly well that this is impossible. It's only strange weather, that's all," he added, as if trying to convince himself.**

**The woman seemed to notice his hesitation because she peeled herself from the spectacle and looked back at him. Phoebe followed her look and was astonished to see the man changed as well. However, this one, she could recognize. He looked distinctly like Clay, albeit a much older Clay.**

**She could not help exclaiming:**

**"Clay!"**

**Nevertheless, the old couple was so taken by the discussion that they did not seem to hear…**

**"You have been having these visions too, haven't you?" The woman was now asking intently.**

**He hesitated, seemingly unwilling to tell.**

**"Haven't you?" She insisted.**

**"It does not mean a thing," he finally admitted reluctantly.**

**"These are just flashbacks from the war, and only because of this bizarre situation."**

**"They are not just flashbacks, they are happening in the same manner we all told you they did during the war…"**

**"Rubbish," Clay tried to deny again.**

**She looked back at Cole askance, but this one seemed just as dumbfounded, as he also was watching the old couple. She was about to question him about it anyway, but before she could, Phoebe saw the shimmering light again, and the scene slowly vanished in front of her, as everything seemed to be going dark…**

**          "They have been gone way too long," Leo was saying, mostly to himself. He was looking out at the forest again, for the umpteenth time in the last two days. The sun was coming up and there were no signs of Phoebe and Cole.**

**He had not noticed that Clay was behind him, and slightly started when this one answered:**

**"I agree." He was obviously upset and proved it some more with his next words.**

**"You should have left me go after them."**

**Leo could not help some irritation at the man. In exasperation, he turned to him and almost screamed:**

**"Repeating it all the time will not make it a better idea…"**

**Clay would not budge however, and he pursued:**

**"What kind of a friend are you, anyway? For all we know they might have gotten into a heap of troubles."**

**"I trust my friend, Clay…" Leo replied, offended.**

**Clay still pursued, making Leo positively roll his eyes at him.**

**"Say what you will, but I have always thought that Cole was a cowboy with no regard for his own life. Still, if it was only him…"**

**In spite of the fact that Leo agreed with part of this statement, he would not let Clay continue on this vein.**

**"Cole will not let anything happen to Phoebe," he said firmly.**

**Finally, Clay realized that he might have gone too far and he toned down his comment.**

**"You're probably right," he began in a calmer tone of voice, "but what if he cannot do anything about it?"**

**Leo had also thought of this possibility more than once, but he did not want to pursue this discussion with the copilot. Instead, he gave one last look toward the forest, and went passed Clay to the cottage, leaving the copilot on his own…**

**          Phoebe woke up, shivering from the cold. She remembered a very vivid dream, almost too real. However, it seemed so farfetched that she believed it to be just that, a dream. She opened her eyes to find the cave entrance flooded by sunlight. Immediately, she looked at her side for Cole, thinking that he might have fallen asleep again. However, of him, she found no trace. A terrible dread gripped her insides, as she imagined the worst. "What if he took a look outside and was caught by a patrol… Was he hurt? Worse?" The thought was almost painful, and so was her other concern. "What will happen to me in this eventuality?" **

**She picked up the glasses, which were still resting in her lap. Then, gathering her courage, she set out to find out.**

**She did not have time to get to the entrance before a shadow blocked the sun and she heard his voice:**

**"So, you are finally awake?"**

**At first, she acknowledged this with infinite relief. Nevertheless, as she went out to rejoin with him, the brusque tone of his voice registered. **

**By then, he had already turned his back to her and was walking away.**

**"Hey," Phoebe called, "what is the big hurry?"**

**For a few seconds, he continued on his way, as if he had not heard. Then, he half turned toward her:**

**"I want to be away from here as soon as possible. There is no reason to delay our return to the cottage, anyway…"**

**Phoebe could accept the logic of this reasoning, but his intonation still left her perplexed.**

**"Is there something wrong?"**

**He cast a furtive look in her direction that revealed nothing. Then, he simply answered:**

**"Nothing more than you already know." **

**Phoebe moved quickly toward him, unwilling to lose sight of him now, as he was starting back.**

**When she was almost by his side, he seemed to remember something:**

**"If you are hungry, here…" He said without looking at her, but handing a pack of rations to her.**

**She eyed the offering with a frown. When he realized that she was not taking it, he looked back again, this time in annoyance.**

**"If you do not want it, just say so."**

**He was already pulling it back, so Phoebe said hurriedly:**

**"That's ok, I'll take it, thank you…"**

**She practically had to catch it in midair, as he dropped it more than gave it to her. As if he could not bear to touch her.**

**Phoebe watched him moving away again with a sick feeling to her stomach.**

**She still opened the pack, as she walked behind him, but she almost gave up after the first bite, since her throat was tight from the malaise.**

**The night before, she had felt a connection with him, one that she had not felt with anyone for a long time. She was certain that he had felt it as well. Granted, they were far from having a relationship of sort, but she had been convinced that he had affection for her. Why then, was he acting even worse than before?**

**She wished that she could asked those questions directly to him, but throughout the trip back, every time that she tried, he simply ignored her, making the malaise deeper for every moment.**

**          In the first two hours of the walk, they had to take many detours, as they heard patrols all over the woods. It was obvious that the soldiers were anxious to find them, or at least that was the impression it gave to Cole and Phoebe. Luckily, they managed to get through it, and the rest of the trip was relatively uneventful. That is until they closed in on the cottage.**

**Phoebe was just beginning to relax. She had time to worry enough on the way, and now, she had just figured that once they were at their destination, she would try to get an answer from the pilot. It was obvious that something went wrong, even though he would not tell her what.**

**Just as she was telling herself this, a faint cracking sound startled her. She stopped short, listening intently. It had seemed to come from behind her, and she tried to see what caused it, but to no avail.  The second noise sent her to the ground, and she only looked up to see if Cole had heard as well. It was quickly obvious that he had, since he was looking behind her at that point.  He lowered himself slowly, his eyes fixed on the path they had just come from. Cole signaled to Phoebe to move slowly out of the path and toward the thicker underbrush. The tension on his face did nothing to reassure her. She did her best not to make any noise as she half crawled toward the nearest tree.  The gunshot froze her before she could get there. Panicked, she waited, hoping that they had shot blindly. The sounds of heavy steps trampling the path and coming toward them quashed this hope.**

**"Get up!" An imperative voice called.**

**It was Clay, Phoebe knew right away. After she got up, she tried to turn in his direction, just as Cole did. However, she heard him getting ready to shoot again.**

**"Don't move!" He exclaimed then.**

**This time, Cole talked.**

**"Hey boy, maybe you should keep all this hostility for the real enemy…"**

**"Cole?"**

**"Yeah…" this one said, as he lowered his arms slowly and turned toward Clay.**

**"You know, it would not hurt to check who you are shooting at."**

**"Hey, I'm not the one who is running around in a German uniform…"**

**Phoebe had almost completely forgotten about the uniforms, and only then understood the sight that Cole and her must have been for Clay.**

**Clay walked toward Phoebe with the beginning of a warm smile, to which she responded. No matter what, Clay had been nothing if not a gentleman and sweet to her.  Still, he glanced at Cole with some irritation then, as if he had just had an unpleasant revelation. Indeed:**

**"What kind of scheme did you get Miss Halliwell into? You know better than to do a thing like that, let alone bring another into it…"**

**Phoebe tried to take the blame:**

**"In reality, it was…"**

**Cole interrupted rudely:**

**"It does not matter anymore. She is fine." He almost turned back then, but he added:**

**"And she's all yours."**

**She did not know if it was the way he said it, or what he said, but it made her really angry:**

**"I do not belong to anyone but myself, thank you."**

**By then, he had already moved away, and if he heard, he did not give any sign of it.**

**Fuming, she barely registered Clay apologizing for him:**

**"Don't worry about that Miss Halliwell. Sometimes Cole…"**

**"Yeah," she interrupted curtly. Then she added, "Let's go."**

**He knew from her annoyed expression that something was amiss between them. Nevertheless, instead of questioning her about it, he just counted his blessings. For the last two and a half days, he had imagined that her and Cole were getting cozy on their way to wherever he had wanted to go. The thought had made him very cranky. One of the nurses, Paige it was, had tried to get his attention more than once, but in spite of finding her attractive, he could not help thinking about Phoebe. **

**          As Cole came out in the open, there was another awkward moment when he heard a warning:**

**"Stay where you are!"**

**This had been Leo's voice calling, but when this one looked closely, he quickly dropped the gun barrel toward the ground with a relieved smile spreading his lips:**

**"Cole, what the hell…"**

**"Don't ask…so how are things here," he pursued, not feeling very talkative at the moment.**

**"We were worried sick! Was it worth the trouble?"**

**"Yes, we found something…" **

**Cole noticed that Leo was looking behind him and could not help turning to look himself. He knew what he would see, and yet watching Clay holding Phoebe's arm as they came out of the forest gave him a jolt.**

**Ever since she had uttered his name in her sleep, Cole had been upset and defeated. He had no idea how he had become so attached to the girl, but the simple idea of her liking Clay better than him was almost unbearable. Yet, he had managed to convince himself that maybe it was all for the better.  In his opinion, serious relationships only brought trouble. He wanted to stay away from those as much as possible. Nevertheless, this had not silenced the ugly feeling of jealousy that he had. Shaking himself, he turned back toward Leo, but by then, this one had noticed his attitude.**

**"Is there something the matter?" He asked, fishing. **

**Leo knew that his friend was hurting somehow.  However, this one only gave him a dismissive gesture. Instead of answering this, he evaded:**

**"I am exhausted. I think that I will get some rest. Then, if you think that the others are ready, we might set out tomorrow morning toward Switzerland."**

**Leo had a little movement of surprise:**

**"From what you told me of where we are, that would make a long trip…"**

**"I am afraid that this might be the only spot where we will be able to cross the border and get out of this country. You know what is happening. The Germans must be on their guard by now."**

**"Some of the wounded are still very weak…"**

**"I have had an idea about this, but we will have to walk a few days still before we can try this…"**

**"I guess that it will have to do…"**

**Cole gave his friend a pat on the shoulder before moving toward the cottage. He was almost there when he heard her laughter. He hesitated shortly before continuing on his way with a grimace, not looking back.**

**Clay had been telling her what had transpired in their absence, including the way that Paige had tried to seduce him. She found his take on it rather amusing, and until she saw Cole entering the cottage without having said anything to her still, she had been in a rather good mood. It was far from a safe haven here. Yet, she was relieved to be among many friends, as opposed to feeling so exposed out there.**

**As a matter of fact, right then, Piper came out of the cottage, running toward her.**

**"Well," she exclaimed happily, "it was about time." The tone of voice not matching the reproachful words…**

**Phoebe smiled at her cousin's enthusiasm, even if she flinched slightly when this one practically bear hugged her.**

**"I was so worried…"**

**Phoebe calmly replied:**

**"I missed you too, cousin."**

**"I have so much to tell you, and even more to ask you. You have to come with me now," she added, giving a side-glance toward Clay. "You do not mind me taking her away, do you?"**

**He actually did, but he gracefully answered:**

**"Of course not." Then, turning to Phoebe, he smiled softly.**

**"I will see you later?"**

**"Yes, of course, later…"**

**Piper took her arm at this, and almost dragged her back toward the cottage.**

**Piper began long before they were sitting on one of the cots:**

**"Well, Leo told me about the uniform, but that was still a shock. How does it feel to look like them?"**

**"You know, I haven't thought of that much …"**

**"How did you get them?"**

**Phoebe hesitated, the memories of the attack still a little painful.**

**"Maybe, we could talk about this later?"**

**Piper understood that it was a painful subject and moved on to something else:**

**"What about the pilot? Was he upset that you followed him?"**

**Phoebe sighed, amused. She still dodged the question however:**

**"You know, you have a lot of questions.**

**"You know me!"**

**"Yes I do," Phoebe replied with a soft smile. Piper's good mood was refreshing for a change. She usually found her to be a little overbearing, if still lovable. However now, she felt reassured and pleased at her attitude. This was normal, this felt good and simple.**

**"Did I tell you how nice this doctor is," Piper continued with a twinkle in her eyes.**

**Phoebe guessed that this was really what Piper wanted to talk about.**

**"So, you are finding him to your taste?"**

**"Oh yeah, he is so sweet and cute. He is always so attentive, I'm not used to it."**

**"I have this feeling that you might want to get used to this, hey?"**

**"Yeah," she trailed dreamily.**

**"I'm so glad for you," Phoebe said, but she was unable to hide the hint of sadness that came at this. **

**Piper noticed right away:**

**"Hey, I thought that you said you were glad for me? You look bummed to me…"**

**Phoebe bit her lips, unwilling to talk about it.**

**"Oh that's not it. I am just very tired. These last two days were very stressful."**

**"I understand," Piper uttered. "However, you should get out of this uniform. It's really unsettling… Come on, we made a little corner to change in private with a few blankets. I'll bring you a clean change."**

**"Perfect," Phoebe replied as she warily got up to follow her cousin. **

**The moment this one left her, Phoebe hurried in taking off the dreadful garment, only now realizing what it must have looked like. She felt dirty as well, remembering that this was taken off a dead man. **

**Piper was on her way back with the clothes for Phoebe, when Paige called to her:**

**"Hey Piper, I need help. This wound doesn't look too good to me…"**

**Piper hesitated, but Cole was coming toward her, back in his pilot's uniform, and she called to him.**

**"Could you give this to Phoebe? She is in that corner there," she said, as she indicated an impromptu alcove made of blankets.**

**Cole seemed uncomfortable at the idea.**

**"Huh, I don't know…"**

**"Oh come on, It will only take a minute, I have to help Paige…"**

**Reluctantly, he nodded and picked up the clothes.**

**As he came toward the entrance to the alcove, Phoebe pushed the blanket aside, obviously expecting her cousin. She gasped as she saw him, utterly self-conscious in her flimsy undergarment. If that was not enough, he was staring at her in such a way that she felt her face turn red in embarrassment. Not quickly enough for her taste, she reacted by pulling the blanket in front of her.**

**"Paige wanted me to give you this," he finally said hoarsely, still staring.**

**"Well, give it to me and leave, please," her tone of voice made a little too curt by the embarrassment. Yet, she could not help being flattered by the obvious interest he showed in her.**

**He handed her the clothes, only then looking away, as he just realized that he had been staring.**

**"Here you go," he said, as he was turning back.**

**Phoebe almost let him, but his attitude confused her, and she felt the need to understand what was the matter:**

**"Captain?"**

**He stopped but did not look back:**

**"Yes?"**

**"Did something happen?"**

**"I don't know what you mean…"**

**Taking a deep breath, she pursued hesitantly:**

**"You have been so distant since this morning…"**

**He half turned toward her and answered:**

**"I was not under the impression that we were so close…"**

**"I thought…"**

**She stopped herself, unsure of what she could say then.**

**"Yes?"**

**He could not help feeling a little hope that he had been mistaken then. What if it was not what he had thought?**

**"I…" Phoebe began.**

**"Hey Cole," Clay interrupted, as he was coming toward them. "Won't you tell me what you found out?"**

**Cole sighed heavily, the disappointment written all over his face again.**

**He forgot all about what Phoebe might have been about to say and instead turned irritably toward the newcomer.**

**"Why don't I tell you all about it later tonight? I was just on my way to get some sleep."**

**Without waiting for an answer, he moved away, as Phoebe closed the makeshift doorway with a sigh.**

**Clay stood there for a while, looking back and forth from the alcove to Cole going with an uneasy feeling. He promised himself that he would keep Phoebe from Cole as much as possible from now on…**

By Justright/Christine Lemieux 


	7. The Wings of Love (Chapter VII)

**The Wings of Love**

**Chapter VII**

******************************

 **          The fire crackled, startling him back to the present. Cole had been lost in thoughts for a long moment, mulling over the last two excruciating days. More than once, he had been tempted to try talking to her, but every single time, Clay got in the way. Cole had come to believe that this one did it on purpose. Still, he had not realized that he was all that obvious, and thought that maybe he saw things that weren't there.  **

As far as their progress went, it was not satisfactory at all. The wounded slowed their advance, along with the detour that they had been forced to take because of the risk of discovery. When he had told Leo and Clay of their misadventure, these had been appalled. However, until now, luck had been on their side. The only scare they had were a couple in a lone car driving down the road, as they were coming out of the woods the day before. Fortunately, they had not been spotted. Tonight, they were taking the risk of making a fire, as the scouts had seen no one for a long way. It was welcome warmth, as the temperature was dropping rapidly at this point.

While thinking of this, he felt a shiver in spite of the fire, and pulled his jacket tighter around him. 

He had tried his best not to look at them until now, but as he did so, he caught sight of Phoebe and Clay. Phoebe was smiling softly, apparently enthralled in what Clay had to say, "whatever that was," he thought bitterly.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he wanted to chase it away. What did he really care anyway? It was not like he wished to have any serious relationship, was it," he told himself. However, this did not make him feel any better.  He heard a ruffling sound, as Leo came to sit next to him.

"Hey, something on your mind?" Leo asked almost immediately.

"No…Why," Cole replied, but without looking at him.

Leo followed the direction of his stare and a smile formed on his lips.

"Well, from where I stand, there definitely seem to be something…"

Cole turned to his friend, only to see him staring at Phoebe and Clay, still harboring a smile that Cole thought was mocking him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he uttered then.

"Come on, Cole. You could fool the others maybe, but not me…what happened between you two? I mean, while you were alone…"

"Nothing happened," Cole replied curtly. 

He found that his friend's comment hit too close to home and did not feel like discussing this.

"Besides, she is Clay's problem now…"

"I see," Leo uttered then with a meaningful expression.

"I don't think that you see at all," Cole replied irritably.

"Alright, if you're going to be like this, let's drop it…"

"Yeah…"

The two fell silent, as Cole could not help looking back at her. This time, however, she noticed his stare and smiled. He felt as if he had been caught and barely nodded before getting up to leave without a word of warning to Leo. 

This one looked up in surprise at his sudden departure, but he had caught the brief exchange and was now certain that he had been right. 

Phoebe' smile melted away as she watched him going. "Why is he doing this," she asked herself for the umpteenth time. 

"Phoebe?" Clay was asking.

She looked back with some embarrassment, as she had missed most of what he had said last.

"Sorry?"

"I was just asking you if you were cold?"

"Oh…Huh, I'm fine. However, I really think that I need some sleep now," she said, while looking back the way Cole had left.

"Of course, these long days of marching must be hard on you. Do you want me to accompany you to your tent?"

"No," she said quickly. "No, it's ok. Stay here, I'll see you in the morning…" she said, glancing his way.

Clay smiled warmly at this.

"I'm looking forward to it."

She smiled back, but her mind was already elsewhere, even as she took the direction of the tent.

            Cole had walked only a little way, and found himself leaning against a tree, still wondering what was the matter with him. It was freezing cold and he felt stupid for leaving the warm fire behind. Yet, he was not ready to go back.

He could hear the conversations of people preparing for the night back there. He let his mind wandering, trying to find some inner peace and was so lost in thoughts that when she spoke, he almost jumped.

"Hello," she simply said, but that was enough to send his heart racing.

He couldn't answer and she came closer, wondering if he heard.

"Hey?"

At this point, he forced himself to look at her, wondering what she was doing there all of a sudden.

"Hey," was all he could manage.

"Captain, I have to know something…"

He cleared his throat before questioning:

"What might that be?"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"Me," he asked, trying to sound casual. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Phoebe moved closer, trying to discern his expression in the poor lighting.

"Huh, ever since we came back…or rather since the other morning, I have been wondering…"

"About what," he asked, a little more eagerly than he had meant…

She hesitated, unsure on how to ask. Still, she had to know.

"The night that we spent in the cave…"

"What about it?"

She sensed that he was getting nervous at this and she wondered even more.

"Well…I thought that…you seemed to like me…"

She couldn't believe that she had said it. Yet, now it was out in the open, and she held her breath, worried that he might simply laugh in her face.

Instead, there was a long pause, and she found herself becoming even more anxious. He was avoiding her eyes, as if he couldn't bear to look at her.

At last, he uttered hesitantly:

"I don't dislike you…" 

She almost took a step back, anticipating the humiliation.

"That's all you have to say?" She asked then, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice.

The question seemed to echo in his mind, as he was asking himself the very same one. She was there, she had come to him, and yet he couldn't bring himself to tell her how he truly felt. The fact was that he was not even sure about that either.  Before this, she had been unattainable, safe in a way. Now however, he was facing a possibility that he had not really believed would present itself. Even as he was debating this, he saw her turn around and move away. He had the urge to call her back, but didn't know what to tell her. 

Phoebe felt an unpleasant tingling in her eyes and she fought the urge to cry. She had not even realized how much it meant to her until then. She could not stay there and wait for him to tell her that she had imagined things. Nevertheless, she had only taken a few steps when a branch cracking nearby stopped her short. Less than a second later, she felt him pulling her back behind the tree, while he tried to see who or what had caused the sound. At this point, she knew that she should have been scared, and she was, a little. However, his arms around her were all that she could really think about. As she looked up, he signaled for her to stay silent. For a long moment, they held their breath, wondering if a patrol had not found their camp. Then, they saw one of their companions coming out of the woods and walking back toward the camp without noticing them. Phoebe sensed him relaxing somewhat, but she felt that he was still tense.  After the man had passed them, Phoebe thought of pulling away from Cole, but she couldn't. He did not seem any more eager to let her go.  Was it nerves, or his proximity, she didn't know, but she felt a tremor inside of her. 

With a hoarse voice, he asked, telling her that he had noticed:

"Are you cold? You're trembling…"

She could feel his warm breath on her forehead. Expectantly, she looked up, and their eyes locked. In that instant, she had no longer any doubts as to what he wanted from her. One of his hands left her side to come touching her face, caressing her hesitantly and she closed her eyes, the cold and her doubts forgotten. He hesitated, as if any more could break this moment forever.  

Sensing his hesitation, she lifted herself toward him, already parting her lips, inviting him. Somewhere deep inside, she could barely believe how bold she was, but she had no intention of stopping now. Not now that he took what she offered, kissing her passionately. She knew in that instant that she had been waiting for this from the first moment that she had seen him in the bistro. It felt not only good, but also the most natural thing in the world, as if nothing should have ever come between them.

**Even as his desire for her almost overwhelmed Cole, he knew without being sure how that there was more to it than simple lust. He wanted her, body and soul, like he had never wanted any woman in his life.  When he realized this however, he found that he could barely breathe. Suddenly, he pulled away, fearing his own reaction.**

**"Miss Halliwell…Huh…I'm sorry," he said, letting go of her.**

**"You're sorry?" She asked in total bewilderment. "You were not alone here…"**

**He hesitated again, his mind reeling as it was.**

**"It's neither the time or the place for this. I will ask you to forget this ever happened. I…"**

**He could not say anymore, as he saw the intense disappointment in her eyes. This hurt him, but only served to freak him even more. Without another word, he took off toward the camp, leaving Phoebe utterly confused again.**

**Tears swelled in her eyes, even as the sadness mixed with humiliation. How could she have opened herself up to him like this, only to be rejected in such a strange manner? He wanted her; she knew he did. But then, why did he run away like this? **

**She started back slowly, avoiding the campfire to go directly to her tent. There, she went straight to her bedding and buried her face in the blanket, unwilling to let anyone see her pain…**

**            Cole was very agitated when he entered the men's tent, and Leo could not help noticing. **

**"Hey, where did you go? Did something happen?"**

**Cole hesitated, not looking at him directly. Then:**

**"Nothing, nothing at all. I think that I will go take the next watch."**

**"Hey, you just came in!"**

**"And now I'm going," he said, ill at ease while turning back.**

**However, Leo sensed that he really wanted to talk, and just did not know how to start. So, he followed his friend, and waited until this one sent the sentry away before approaching him.**

**"Cole?"**

**This one turned to him with irritation.**

**"What are you doing here? Just go to sleep, tomorrow will be another long day…"**

**"Not before you told me what you are dying to…"**

**Cole glanced at him, but immediately looked away, while tossing pebbles with his shoes.**

**"I told you," Cole said, "I have nothing to talk about. There you have it…"**

**Leo sighed, but rather than going away, he went to sit on a log and waited, totally unnerving Cole.**

**This one decided to ignore him and paced, all the while sensing his friend's eyes on him. At long last, he couldn't take it anymore and turned to him almost angrily.**

**"What do you want me to tell you?"**

**Leo watched him calmly, knowing that there was no point in pushing him. Seeing this, Cole came to sit by him, chewing his lower lip nervously.**

**"She came to me, I didn't go to her. What did she expect?"**

**Leo kept silent, knowing that the question was rhetorical.**

**"I mean," he pursued, talking too fast, "I owe her nothing, and she owes me nothing.  I didn't ask for this…"**

**"Asked for what," Leo questioned softly.**

**Cole gave him an annoyed side look.**

**"Nothing…"**

**"Come on, Cole. You know that you want to talk about it."**

**Cole sighed deeply before continuing:**

**"I don't want to feel like this, Leo. I never did. There is no place in my life for a permanent relationship…"**

**"Did it ever occur to you that you might not have a choice in the matter?"**

**"I do have a choice," Cole said irritably. "I only have to avoid her and put her out of my mind…"**

**"Like you have been doing the last few days?" Leo asked with a knowing smile.**

**Cole glared at him, even more annoyed, but Leo sustained his stare, unmoved. Instead of replying, Cole got up quickly and started pacing again, casting several looks toward the camp. **

**"You may think what you want," he exclaimed suddenly, "but I would be no good to any woman. I need to be free."**

**Leo sighed:**

**"Then, you will truly be alone…more even, now that you know what you will be missing…"**

**"And what would that be?" Cole asked, turning to him with a frown.**

**Leo took the time to stand up and get on his way before answering.**

**"Love, Cole… simply love…"**

**Cole watched him going with a scowl, trying to deny that Leo's last words had made an impression on him.**

**"Foolishness," he mumbled. "I don't need love, and I don't need her…" he tried again. Nothing, however, could fill the void that he felt growing inside him…**

**Leo was walking toward his own tent, but what he told Cole seemed to apply to him as well. He had been going around the issue for a while with Piper, and now, he saw that even in the circumstances, it might be a mistake to wait. He knew deep down that she was the one he wanted. Her enthusiasm and freshness charmed him from the first moment. This along with the fact that she was also a dedicated nurse, who was taking her work and her patients very seriously, only added to the attraction. **

**His only problem was that he was shy by nature, and did not know exactly where to begin with her.  However, he was convinced by now that she at least found him interesting, as she had demonstrated it more than once. He believed that he was ready to tell her how he felt, but at the same time, he feared the next step forward. What if that was only a casual attraction on her part? Leo had always seen himself as a one-woman man. Unlike Cole, he did not see the point in those frivolous encounters that his friend enjoyed so, however pleasant they might be. At this point, trying to silence his lingering doubts, he stopped short and made a beeline for the girl's tent, hoping that she might still be awake. **

**Indeed, as luck had it, Piper had been taking care of a few patients and was now returning to her tent. She saw Leo coming and a pleased smile immediately appeared on her face. Certain that he had come for her, she told herself happily:**

**"It's about time…"**

**She had been tempted many times to make the first move in the last couple of days. However, she had sensed that he might not have been ready for it. She was not a very patient person in general, but she wanted this to work and had made an effort to temper her enthusiasm. **

**Now, however, she moved faster, eager to meet with him.**

**Leo turned to her as if he had felt her coming, and he smiled timidly at her approach. She thought that he was so cute and refreshingly reserved for a man. For a brief moment, before she reached him, she questioned her interest in such a man. Her, so opened and spontaneous, while he was so calm and careful… Yet, she told herself that it might just be the perfect combination. No matter, by then, she already felt so much affection for him that she was ready to make the necessary efforts in order for this to work.**

**"Leo," she exclaimed familiarly. "What a nice surprise!"**

**"Really," he asked, his smile slightly more confident.**

**"I was thinking about you…"**

**She saw that he was startled by her openness and feared that she might have gone a little too far already.**

**However, his next words reassured her:**

**"I have been thinking about you as well, miss…" he hesitated, unsure about the familiarity. However, her smile of encouragement helped him get over this… "Piper…"**

**She smiled gently at this, and a warm feeling coursed through him. Still, he did not know where to start, and hesitated at length… He could see that she expected something from him and it pleased him, but it also scared him a little.**

**"Huh, are you too tired to come sit with me by the fire?"**

**Without wait, she came closer to him, slipping her arm under his.**

**"Lead the way," she simply replied.**

**The campfire was deserted at this point, as most people were already trying to sleep. They sat side by side, awkwardly on Leo's part, as he was still wondering what he could tell her.  Before he could decide, he saw her leaning toward him and gently kissing him. He could not help a little jump at this.**

**Piper moved back, unsure.**

**"I'm sorry, maybe it was a little too forward of me…"**

**"No," Leo exclaimed. Then he said softly:**

**"No, it's not it. I just…"**

**"Yes?"**

**"I don't want this to be only a one time thing between us…I would like…"**

**"I'd like this too," she interrupted gently.**

**"Really? I… I wasn't certain how you felt…"**

**"Leo…you're so different…"**

** He wondered if she meant this as a bad thing, but her gentle smile denied this impression. He then let her continue expectantly.**

**"I won't lie to you," she pursued then. "I have had quite a few boyfriends in my life already…" She stopped, searching his expression for some shock, but he was simply waiting for her to continue. "Until now, I never envisioned the future very seriously… but lately I found myself thinking about it a lot…"**

**Leo felt his heart racing, hopeful that this meant what he was hoping for.**

**"And," he almost whispered.**

**"And I would like to think that you are part of this future, Leo."**

**He couldn't believe it. All this time, he had been wondering how to tell her about the way he felt, but she had just put it so well that he found himself speechless.**

**His silence suddenly made her nervous.**

**"If what I told you is a problem…"**

**"No! No it's not. I…"**

**However, instead of pursuing with words, he bent toward her and, gently putting his hand behind her neck, he pulled her closer toward him. Their kiss was soft at first, almost timid. Nevertheless, soon a wave of passion swept them, as they forgot about the surroundings, lost in a pure moment of bliss…**

**            From a ways, Cole could not help watching this with a painful wave of regrets. Soon however, and as he stopped watching them, he promised himself that this pain would go away. He was not ready for love, maybe never would be, he thought, trying very hard to convince himself…**

** The next evening, a group of them gathered around, discussing the news brought back by a scout.**

**"As you probably all know," Cole began, looking around, "we are nearing a small city. This means that we might be able to get some vehicles and arrive faster at our destination."**

**A few murmurs all around told him that many had an opinion on the matter but they let him continue.**

**"There is a problem however. As we surmised, the Germans are rather paranoiac at this time, and some troops are camped just outside the city…"**

**One of the medics replied:**

**"Maybe we should just move on then. We're not soldiers. At least most of us are not…"**

**Cole lifted a hand:**

**"I know that it might be dangerous. However, our slow advance is also rather risky. Every day that goes by increases the chance that we will be discovered."**

**The murmurs increased in volume, telling him that they were getting anxious.**

**"I cannot force you into anything, and if push comes to shove, Clay and me will try to do this on our own. However…"**

**Piper interrupted then:**

**"If you need help, count me in!"**

**Leo turned to her in surprise. He had been about to make the same offer, but worried about her safety at this point.**

**Turning toward Cole, he said first:**

**"I'm willing to help, of course, but," and then he looked back at Piper with concern, "I do not think that we should involve the women into this."**

**Piper stared at him reproachfully:**

**"I disagree. We're all into this mess together, and we can all help getting us out of it. It's not because I'm a woman that I can't be of use."**

**Leo felt this as a slap.**

**"I didn't mean that you couldn't…"**

**Piper softly replied, only for him.**

**"I know…"**

**Leo frowned but understood that she was asking him not to protest anymore. Reluctantly, he sat back and didn't ad anything for or against.**

**Cole waited a moment, to see if more would volunteer. A few more hands timidly went up and he counted about ten people willing to help. He was about to wrap this up, when he noticed that Phoebe was also offering her help, if hesitantly. He noticed her questioning stare, which made him ill at ease. He was still determined to keep his distance from her in spite of the need he felt. However, the thought of her exposing herself to danger again gave him an unpleasant twinge, but he had no idea how he could force her not to do it. **

**"Alright, then. We will let you know what your part will be sometimes tomorrow. We anticipate to be trying this tomorrow night at the most, so get some rest in the meantime," he finally said with a hint of annoyance that fortunately, the others didn't seem to notice.**

**As the gathering slowly dissolved, only a handful of them stayed by the fire, lost in thoughts. Phoebe was still sitting by Clay, but Cole did his best to avoid looking at them. Instead, he noticed this nurse, watching them unhappily, but he chose to ignore that.**

**Eager to find some distraction from his disturbing thoughts, he went to sit by her.**

**"Hey," he said then, as she turned to him with a weak smile.**

**"Hey…" she simply replied, her attention quickly returning to the couple she had been watching.**

**Cole pursued, stubbornly avoiding looking at them himself:**

**"I haven't had the pleasure to be introduced, but it is still time to remediate the situation…"**

**Paige turned to him with slight surprise. A warmer smile spread her lips then.**

**"I do know who you are, Captain."**

**"I must admit that I missed you name, however" he said charmingly.**

**"Paige… Paige Matthews."**

**"Well, Paige. Nice to make your acquaintance…"**

**Even throughout this exchange, he noticed her casting quick looks toward Phoebe and Clay again.**

**"Anything the matter," he asked then, trying to sound casual.**

**As if shaking herself, she turned to him decisively. **

**"Nope, nothing at all. Are you too busy to take a little walk with me?" She asked very forwardly.**

**"I always have time for a pretty lady like you," he replied with a smile.**

**In the back of his mind, he could almost hear Leo's voice telling him that he was doing the wrong thing, but he could not help thinking that this way, Phoebe would stop expecting anything from him. Mostly though, he knew that he was trying to prove something to himself. It was also very obvious to him that Paige was annoyed at seeing Clay with Phoebe, but this did not enter in his equation. He was not after her for anything more serious than a flirt.**

**"Then, let's go," she said, getting up very quickly and pulling him to her.**

**Before moving away, she looked back, possibly checking if Clay had noticed, but the twitching of her mouth at this told him that he had not. She rapidly wiped it from her face however, smiling widely at him as they walked away.**

**Contrary to what Paige thought, Clay had noticed, but mostly because he had followed Phoebe's angry stare, as she watched them going. For a moment, he thought that she would go after them, but instead she stayed put. However, an idea began to form in his mind after this…**

**            Leo accompanied Piper to her tent, all the while harboring a troubled expression. As they were nearing their destination, he turned to her at last:**

**"I don't like the idea of you putting yourself in more danger than necessary…"**

**Piper stopped and gave him an affectionate look:**

**"I know how you must feel. Nevertheless, you will have to accept that I am my own woman. Liking you doesn't change this…"**

**He tried to interrupt, but she put light fingers on his lips, stopping him.**

**"Leo, I am not fearless, trust me. However, I have to do what I think is right. I am in this place, this war because I felt that I would be needed. Well, tomorrow, I will be, and that is all I have to know."**

**"You are helping plenty by nursing the wounded. There is no need for you to expose yourself…"**

**She simply smiled and deposited a light kiss on his lips.**

**"You are too sweet Leo. Don't worry," she added then, "I will be careful. I want to be back and see where we go from there as much as you do. I also want you to do the same…"**

**She then leaned against him, nesting her head on his shoulder. Leo sighed, as much in contentment as in resignation, while they held each other…**

**            Paige was talking animatedly while they walked, apparently oblivious to her previous concerns. Cole paid her only mild attention, but was grateful in a way, as her conversation still partly occupied his mind. Suddenly she stopped and pulling him to her, she cuddled playfully.**

**"Hey, It's pretty cold out here. I could use some warming up…"**

**Her tempting smile was difficult to resist and at this point, he did not want to. **

**"Are you certain? I am not promising you anything you know?" he still said.**

**"I am not asking you to marry me," she replied in the same playful tone. "There is a war out there. Tomorrow could be our last. I just want to feel the warmth of another human being, that's all. Don't look for any other meaning in my offer…"**

**This pleasantly surprised Cole… At this point, all he wanted was the same thing. A meaningless moment shared. This is why, when she offered her lips to him, he barely hesitated. His hands wandered down her back and she sighed against his mouth. Nevertheless, in spite of the physical pleasure this gave him as well, he couldn't help feeling the emptiness still.  He had just about made up his mind to break their embrace when Clay's voice made the decision for him.**

**"Hey, Cole!"**

**Cole stepped away from Paige almost guiltily.  She opened her eyes in slight confusion, until she realized that Clay was watching them.**

**Cole turned toward the newcomer and caught his breath when he saw Phoebe by his side. On her face, he could read an infinite sadness and anger. His heart sunk at the sight, but he could not say a thing to justify himself.**

**"Weren't we supposed to work on this plan of yours," Clay pursued, obviously pleased with himself, or so Cole thought.**

**He gave his copilot a very angry look, which this one did not seem to notice, before glancing at Phoebe. However, Phoebe already had her back to him, walking toward the camp. He thought that he saw her shoulders shook by what looked like sobbing. He took a few hesitant steps toward her, but Clay put himself between him and her.**

**"So? Are we going to do this or what?"**

**Cole was tempted to push the copilot aside rudely and go after her. Yet, he knew that he was the one at fault. He even had done it for this very purpose, so why did it seem so wrong now?**

**Sighing heavily, he turned toward Clay:**

**"Yeah," he answered blandly. "Let's do this…"**

**Before moving away with Clay, he remembered Paige.**

**Going back toward her, he said:**

**"I'm sorry, I… This shouldn't have happened anyway."**

**Paige stared at him curiously. Then, she seemed to understand.**

**"I guess that you're right…"**

**She then herself watched the two men going with a very disappointed expression.**

**            Phoebe entered the tent still crying. Try as she might, she couldn't stop. It was all too familiar to her. The pain was excruciating. Even more so than the first time, as she realized then that she had been falling for him harder than she ever thought possible. "How mistaken was I?" she thought to herself bitterly.  If she had hoped that no one would notice her however, it wasn't to be. Piper lifted her head toward her and gave an anxious look to her distraught cousin.**

**"Phoebe! What's wrong?"**

**This one just went past her to her bedding and said nothing at first, the tears still choking her.**

**Piper got up and went to her, pulling her toward her chest.**

**Phoebe resisted at first, but the flood of tears came again, even harder than before and she let herself fall in Piper's arms.**

**"My god, Phoebe, what's wrong with you? You're scaring me."**

**Between her sobbing, Phoebe uttered chokingly:**

**"Don't ever trust men… They are all the same… They will all betray you at the drop of a hat…"**

**Piper frowned unhappily:**

**"Come on, Phoebe.  Not all men are that bad."**

**Phoebe pushed herself from her angrily.**

**"Believe me. There isn't one to redeem the others. One day you will find this out. I just hope that you won't get hurt as badly as I have been."**

**Piper frowned painfully. She knew that these bitter words were inspired by infinite sorrow. **

**"Please Phoebe…who hurt you?"**

**"It doesn't matter," she replied, wiping the tears off her face. "It's enough for you to know that I won't let that happen to me again…"**

**At this, Phoebe went to lie down on her bedding, pulling the blanket over herself and resolutely turning away from Piper.**

**This one watched Phoebe for a long moment, very concerned for her cousin… **


	8. The Wings of Love (Chapter VIII)

The Wings of Love  
  
1 Chapter VIII  
  
  
  
Leo was in a good mood while returning to their tent. He whistled softly, but when he saw Cole coming from the campfire's direction, he stopped and called to him:  
  
"Hey, Cole? You all done with this plan of yours?"  
  
In reality, he felt like talking to someone about his newly found happiness, but Cole was not really receptive, as he practically ignored him and entered the tent without a word.  
  
Leo frowned, wondering about this. When he entered in turn, he found his friend opening his pack roughly, tossing his effects aside until he found what he was looking for. He pulled a bottle out of the pack and immediately unscrewed the lid. Without paying any attention to Leo, he stared at the bottle for an instant before putting it to his mouth and swallowing, to Leo's estimate, the equivalent of two drinks in one gulp.  
  
"Huh, long night I see?"  
  
Finally, Cole turned to him with a bitter expression, already bringing up the bottle for another helping.  
  
"Yeah," he simply said, before taking almost as large an amount of the amber spirit.  
  
"You know," Leo replied, with a frown, "if you go on like this, you'll be drunk in no time."  
  
Cole glared at him before sitting heavily on his blanket, still cradling the bottle.  
  
"Not a moment too soon…"  
  
"That bad, hey?"  
  
Cole did not even deign look at him, his expression growing bitterer by the moment. Even as Leo watched, appalled, Cole swallowed more of the whisky.  
  
"Ok, that's enough. If you continue like this, you won't just be drunk, you'll be dead. This stuff could kill you, you know that?"  
  
Leo made a move to take the bottle away, but Cole pulled it out of his reach with an impatient gesture.  
  
"I wouldn't be that lucky…" he grumbled, his voice already slurred by drunkenness.  
  
Leo sat beside him then, very concerned:  
  
"Well, whatever this is, it seems to me you need to talk about it…"  
  
Cole sneered at him, but without much conviction.  
  
"I'm not in the mood for your "I told you so" Leo…"  
  
Leo frowned more severely at this, surprised at his friend's defeated attitude.  
  
"Come on, Cole. All you have to do is get off your butt and go talk to her," he said, as he easily guessed that it was related to their conversation of the previous night.  
  
Guilt spread over his friend's expression, while he gave a quick glance toward Leo. Turning away, he said bitterly.  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Leo sighed impatiently:  
  
"Well, by all means, stop hugging this bottle and enlighten me…"  
  
Cole hesitated only slightly:  
  
"Nothing new…Just me being a bloody asshole, that's all…"  
  
"Wow, that's harsh, isn't it?" Leo exclaimed.  
  
"It's only the truth," Cole replied flatly, as he was bringing the bottle to his lips again.  
  
This time, Leo grabbed it and took it away from him. Cole scowled at him, but his protest didn't last long.  
  
"Ok now, what did you do?" Leo asked when he saw that Cole was calming down.  
  
In a falsely casual tone of voice, Cole answered:  
  
"I just made sure that Phoebe would never talk to me again…congratulate me! I got what I wanted, haven't I?"  
  
Leo watched him in puzzlement, while distractedly wiping the bottle's neck and taking a sip of the strong liquor himself.  
  
"It can't be that bad?" he said at last.  
  
As Leo was letting the bottle drop to his lap, Cole grabbed it back.  
  
"Trust me on this. I did a bang up job…if you only could have seen her face…"  
  
He grimaced painfully before bringing the bottle to his lips again.  
  
"You know what," Leo said, "I won't even ask what you did. But I'll ask you this. How do you really feel about her?"  
  
It took a long moment before he got an answer from Cole. So much so that Leo began to believe that Cole had not heard the question. He was about to ask again, when Cole turned to him with more pain in his eyes than he had ever seen in him.  
  
"How about I lost a part of my soul tonight?"  
  
Leo opened wide eyes at this. However, his friend did not even notice this, as he lied down on the blanket and looked away. Leo was astounded. He thought that Cole had some obvious feelings for the young nurse, but he never believed that it ran so deep. However, now he somewhat understood his earlier attitude. He knew that a man like him would be afraid of getting lost to another.  
  
"There's got to be a way to repair whatever it is you've done."  
  
The defeated tone of his friend's voice gave him a chill.  
  
"Nope! Trust me on this. Now, if you could please let me drink myself to sleep, I'd be grateful," Cole added, resolutely keeping his back to him. Leo knew that there was no point in trying to reason with him now. He was not about to drop this however. He just thought that it would be a better idea to wait until things became clearer, and Cole was sober.  
  
As he lied down on his own blanket, Leo realized that he had not told Cole about Piper. Right then, he felt a pinch of remorse at his own happiness.  
  
The next morning, Cole woke up with the worst headache he ever had in his life. By his side, the accursed bottle was lying almost empty. For a moment, he tried to remember what had made him do this, as only the pain occupied his mind. Then he suddenly did, and the headache didn't seem so bad anymore. However, he also realized something else. The night before, seeing her moving away from him, along with Clay's attitude throughout the following hour, gave him the impression that the ground was positively crumbling beneath him. Nevertheless, he was not the kind of man who gave up that easily. It was not in his nature, and that morning he only remembered. He got up with a renewed conviction. He would do everything that he could to win her over. This new resolve brought a weak but definite smile to his lips. He had not noticed, but Leo was observing him.  
  
"Hey, what changed," this one asked with a hesitant smile of his own.  
  
Cole turned toward his friend, somewhat mortified by his display of weakness the night before.  
  
"Huh, well…let's just say I decided I gave up too easily…"  
  
Leo' smile brightened at this. "That's more like you. You scared me, Cole… For a while there, I thought that someone had kidnapped you and put this pale copy of you in your place."  
  
A wave of pain exploded in Cole's head, and as he turned to Leo with a grimace, he replied:  
  
"If it's ok with you, the next time I get like this, knock me down. It'll hurt less." "You can't say I didn't warn you," Leo replied mockingly. He was still relieved to see his friend with a more positive attitude.  
  
"Wait here. I might just have what you need."  
  
Cole watched him going dubiously, but the headache came back full blown at this point, and he closed his eyes to try dulling the pain. When he reopened them, Leo was shoving a nasty looking drink in front of him.  
  
"What the hell is that?"  
  
"Suffice for you to know that it'll be of help for your hangover. Drink all…"  
  
Cole eyed the mixture reluctantly.  
  
"Really," he asked hesitantly.  
  
"Hey, I'm the doctor, remember?"  
  
Cole gingerly took the glass from Leo and slowly brought it to his lips.  
  
"Come on, all at once. You weren't so hesitant when you imbibed all that whisky last night…"  
  
Cole glared at Leo, but even that gesture hurt, so he brought the glass to his lips, closing his eyes, and with a grimace of disgust, swallowed it all. Immediately afterward, he looked as if he was going to throw up, and Leo gave him an amused smile.  
  
"Now, let this work for a moment," he said, ignoring the face Cole made him.  
  
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Cole finally managed, half reproachful, half amused.  
  
In spite of his doubts, after a few minutes, he began to feel better.  
  
"She's at the fire having some breakfast, and Clay isn't with her," Leo said then, noticing his friend's uncertain stare toward the tent's opening. Cole barely reacted, but Leo knew that he heard.  
  
"If I were you though, I'd throw some water on my face, and shave."  
  
Cole brought his hands to his cheeks and felt the stubble with a grimace.  
  
"Right," he said, although he was obviously tempted to go out at once.  
  
By the time he got to the campfire, Phoebe was already preparing to leave, and he hurried by her side. She avoided looking at him altogether, while rinsing the plate in a basin.  
  
"Miss Halliwell," he questioned hesitantly.  
  
Rather than answering, she noisily put the plate on a pile, and turned resolutely away.  
  
"Hey, I'm talking to you," he called.  
  
Phoebe stopped and half turned toward him, still not meeting his gaze.  
  
"Captain Turner…I have no time for your games, so if you don't mind, let's keep the chit chat to a minimum in the future."  
  
Before he could reply, she was already on her way.  
  
"Hum," he grumbled to himself, "this is gonna be more difficult than I thought…"  
  
Leo startled him at this.  
  
"What? Your charms didn't work on her…"  
  
The slightly mocking tone of voice didn't escape Cole.  
  
"You'll see. She'll come around," he still boasted, half convinced.  
  
"Hum…"  
  
Cole felt like insisting, but he realized that Leo was simply taunting him.  
  
"What kind of friend are you?"  
  
Leo smiled:  
  
"One that doesn't like to see his friend giving up at the first rejection, but still think that you could use some humility…"  
  
"That's not my way…"  
  
"Don't I know…"  
  
Cole was about to protest further when he noticed that Leo was distracted.  
  
He followed his gaze and saw Piper coming their way with a sweet smile.  
  
"Oh, I see that you have made progress, on the other hand…"  
  
He thought that he noticed a little reddening on his friend's cheeks and for a moment this helped him put his own problem aside.  
  
"Hello, Leo," Piper said softly, as she came closer.  
  
Leo cleared his throat, apparently embarrassed in front of his friend:  
  
"Good morning," he still managed.  
  
Her smile brightened, oblivious to his discomfort, and Cole simply watched them with a corner smile. After a moment of awkward silence, Leo eyed his friend severely:  
  
"Shouldn't you be doing something?"  
  
Cole smiled anew, but he backed off then.  
  
"Right. I'll leave you two lovebirds. Have fun!"  
  
Leo watched Cole going with an annoyed expression, but soon returned his gaze toward Piper, still slightly embarrassed. However, by then her attitude had changed. She seemed preoccupied.  
  
"Hum…"she began. "Did your friend tell you of anything wrong happening between Phoebe and Captain Bartlett last night?"  
  
Leo understood that she had no idea on who the real culprit was. He decided that now wasn't the time to tell, as he encouraged her to elaborate instead.  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"Well, I don't like to talk about my cousin's problems. But well, she came in last night crying and really down on men in general. It worries me a lot. And since she was with him when we left, I assumed something might've happened afterward…"  
  
"I couldn't tell you. Cole didn't mention anything about it," Leo lied, while avoiding her eyes. At reflection, he thought best not to get into this any further with Piper.  
  
This one watched him curiously for an instant, as if she had guessed that he was hiding something, but to Leo's relief, she soon dismissed it.  
  
"I guess she'll tell me in time…So," she added, the smile reforming on her lips, "how about breakfast?"  
  
He still wondered what Cole might've done that was so terrible. However, like Piper, he figured that he would find out in time.  
  
"I'm starving," he said then with a smile.  
  
She took his hand at this point and he forgot all about his friend's troubles.  
  
"I still don't like the idea of you being part of this," Leo whispered to Piper, as they crouched in a bush, near the city. From where they were, they could see a patrol walking stiffly, maybe three hundred feet away, and Leo's happiness of the morning had given place to a growing fear for Piper.  
  
"I told you, I'll be careful. Besides, my part in it isn't nearly as dangerous as the others'."  
  
"So you say. I can't even get your back!"  
  
"It makes sense for you to stay behind. If something goes wrong, you might be of use."  
  
"Please, don't remind me."  
  
"Shhhh…" a voice came from the side, while the owner of the voice stayed unseen, hiding just as they were.  
  
It startled Leo. He realized then that all of them must be just as nervous, and for good reasons. It wasn't completely dark yet, and they had to wait another thirty minutes before making the first move. It seemed like an eternity. He saw Piper frown unhappily, as if she felt the warning as an insult of sort, but she still kept quiet. On an impulse, he took her hand and she immediately turned to him with a little smile. Soon however, she turned back toward the city, watching the comings and goings anxiously.  
  
Phoebe, Clay and Cole were hiding practically on the other side of the city. From their vintage, all they could see was the large building described to them by the scouts. Cole had been so bold as to go closer earlier and verify his assumptions about it. He had returned with a self satisfied expression.  
  
"I told you. It's exactly what I thought," he answered Clay's questioning stare.  
  
"I still say that you based everything on a hunch, as per usual. What if you'd been wrong," Clay pursued in a low voice.  
  
"I wasn't," Cole replied dismissively.  
  
Phoebe was angry with herself for the relief she felt at seeing him back. All day, she had tried to avoid him, but in the end, her protectiveness of Piper got her exactly where she didn't want to be. Earlier, when Cole had laid out the plan for them, Piper had tried to volunteer for this. In spite of her reluctance at being close to Cole, Phoebe had reacted immediately.  
  
"No," she had said categorically. "If anyone goes with them, it'll be me."  
  
"Phoebe," Piper had protested, "It's my decision."  
  
"You're the youngest and too impulsive." Phoebe had rationalized then.  
  
Turning toward Cole and Clay, she had reaffirmed her desire to take Piper's place, and they had not been able to find any argument against it. Piper's part in the plan, a simple, if unpleasant, in and out task, still held risk, to Phoebe's displeasure. However, it was nowhere near as dangerous as what Phoebe volunteered for…  
  
For an instant, Cole had wondered if it had to do with him, but he soon was disillusioned on that point. Even now, he couldn't read her face, as he watched her. She hadn't said another word to him all day. His only consolation was that she seemed just as aloof with Clay.  
  
This one was whispering something to him and it took Cole a moment to understand what he was talking about.  
  
"So, that would explain the contingent around the town, I guess…"  
  
Cole turned to him reluctantly and, guessing what he was referring to, he replied:  
  
"I would say yes. But whatever, now it'll serve our purpose abundantly."  
  
"That is, if we don't get blown up ourselves."  
  
Cole looked at Clay irritably:  
  
"Then, we'll have to be extra careful, now won't we?"  
  
Clay grunted, but didn't answer.  
  
Both Cole and Clay were wearing the German uniforms, however uncomfortable they felt about it. They hoped that it wouldn't come into play however, as it was risky since neither one of them spoke a word of German. As there was nothing more that they could do about it, Cole decided to put this aside and tried talking to Phoebe once more, to Clay's obvious irritation.  
  
"Miss Halliwell, I know that you don't feel like talking to me at all, but that doesn't keep me from worrying about you."  
  
Phoebe kept her eyes stubbornly forward, pretending that she didn't hear him.  
  
"There is no reason for you to risk your life." he insisted. "You could watch our back from here."  
  
This time she reacted  
  
"I haven't come all this way to see you two get blown to pieces or shot from this hiding place," she uttered angrily.  
  
"Well, I didn't know you cared so much," Cole replied, slightly amused.  
  
However, she looked at him with such contempt that he flinched:  
  
"This has nothing to do with you personally, Captain. You've convinced us that we needed those vehicles if we wanted to get out of this country alive. This means that you've got to succeed first. And even if I got serious reservations as far as you're concerned, I still recognize that we'll need you with us."  
  
"I see…"  
  
"I hope so," she replied dryly, even as she looked back toward the city.  
  
Cole didn't miss the satisfied expression of his copilot and he frowned unhappily at this.  
  
Phoebe tried her best to forget about Cole's proximity, as she thought of what was to come instead. She was wearing one of the civilian outfits they had taken from the farm in case of need. This was a man's outfit, and she felt ill at ease in it. Yet, she recognized that a skirt wouldn't have been indicated for such an operation.  
  
Even as she watched, another patrol went by, giving her a chill in spite of her resolve. She couldn't help admiring Cole and Clay's apparent lack of fear. For her part, she was terrorized, even if she did her best to hide it. When it was only a plan, it had seemed easy enough, if risky. However, faced with the actual event, she wondered about the imponderable. She jumped when Cole announced at last that it was time. Looking back at them quickly, she saw that they were already standing up and making sure that the patrol was out of sight. Cole turned to her briefly, obviously checking if she was coming, then as she got up cautiously, he resolutely moved toward the large building, soon followed by the other two.  
  
Leo watched Piper with increasing anxiety, knowing that every minute brought them closer to the execution of the plan. Even if he knew the importance of keeping quiet, he couldn't help trying again to change her mind.  
  
"Piper," he whispered. She didn't hear him, and kept her eyes on the city, so he tried a little louder:  
  
"Piper?"  
  
This time, she turned to him questioningly.  
  
"I don't want you to go…"  
  
"Leo," she replied with a sigh, "I thought you understood…I intend to do what was asked of me. You can't stop me…"  
  
"I'm so worried, Piper. We had so little time…"  
  
"I promise you," she interrupted assuredly, "we'll have all the time in the world once we're out of here. I'll be careful…"  
  
She had barely finished her sentence that one of the medics came by their sides. He had been so quiet that they jumped at his arrival.  
  
"It's time," he announced. Even in the low tone of voice, Leo could sense the stress, and it only added to his worries. However, Piper didn't hesitate to follow him out of the bush. Leo watched them going apprehensively, until they had reached the first house, then they fell out of sight.  
  
The civilian clothes fell loosely around Piper, but it suited her just fine. It also allowed her to conceal the Molotov Cocktails she carried. She felt their weight under the overcoat, and it, at once, reassured and scared her. No where in her job designation had she considered using such horrible weapons. Nevertheless, she intended to carry her part of the plan, no matter how squeamish it made her. The medic walked cautiously, sticking to the wall of the nearest house, and she followed his example as her heart was racing from the fear and excitement. Suddenly, even as he was about to turn the corner of the house, he threw himself back, obviously breathing hard. Piper froze, now totally overwhelmed by fear. A few seconds later, they saw a couple strolling by in the street. Piper held her breath, so much so that her lungs hurt. She let out a deep sigh when the couple moved on without seeing them. The medic still signaled her to wait. Behind them, another twosome was coming closer. She recognized Paige and one of the administrative officers. None of them were cut out for this job, yet they had to do it.  
  
Looking back toward the medic, she realized that he had already turned the corner, and she hurried behind him. They knew what they were supposed to do.  
  
Cole and Clay cautiously turned the corner of the building, and, as the scouts had told them the night before, found a number of military trucks parked in front of it. Cole's assumption, from the look of the place, along with the news about the trucks, was that this must be a small weapon factory. One of the vehicles in question was already loaded, and it removed any lingering doubts he might've had. From where they stood, they could see the crates with obvious warnings on them. He smiled when he recognized what he had hoped for. The truck was filled with ammunitions. However, when he started toward it, two guards came out of the building, carrying flashlights. He threw himself back behind the corner, his heart racing. He was at least grateful that there were no dogs, but the element of surprise demanded that they not use their weapons against them. He tensely signaled for Clay to stand down, and this one grimaced in annoyance. They both knew that time was of the essence. The first diversion would come soon, and they had to be ready. Phoebe knew this as well, and when she saw both men hesitating, she made a bold decision.  
  
Before they could do anything about it, she pulled away from the wall and quickly walked in plain sight. Cole and Clay watched her go with appalled expressions, but there was nothing that they could do. Apparently fearless, Phoebe walked toward the guards. Then, when she was certain that she got their attention, she turned away from them and returned toward the two pilots' hiding place. The guards watched her curiously for an instant, and then they followed her as she'd hoped. At the corner, she went on, not even giving a look toward Cole and Clay, while these prepared nervously. As soon as the second guard had gone by, they jumped behind them as quickly as they could. The surprise served the two pilots, as the guards fell to the ground with only a few grunts, while Cole and Clay each held their necks tightly. Picking the weapon from the guard he had neutralized, Clay was the first one to get back up. Cole held on a little longer to the second guard, making sure that he was dead. He still felt bad about this, but too much depended on the surprise for them to risk these guard giving the alarm. Then, he got up in turn, and looked angrily toward Phoebe, on her way back to them.  
  
"What sort of crazy lady are you," he spat, while trying his best to keep a low voice. He didn't think that he'd ever been so scared for anyone in his entire life.  
  
Phoebe, however, only dismissed his reproach:  
  
"Worked, didn't it?"  
  
She saw that he was about to protest further, but she didn't give him the time.  
  
"I did it because we had no time to lose…Maybe you remember that," she pursued snidely, while staring squarely at him.  
  
Reluctantly, he backed off, still mumbling about females screwing up operations under his breath however. Phoebe got most of it and was upset about his ungratefulness. Nevertheless, now wasn't the time to start an argument, as she saw Clay and Cole already on their way to the truck filled with ammunition. Once there, Clay moved on to the next one, carrying one of the crates along, while Cole climbed in the cabin. It didn't take him long to find the keys, which had simply been left in the ignition. He hoped that the other drivers were just as negligent as he started the engine, grimacing for fear of attracting undue attention. Luckily for them, no one came to look, probably trusting the guards to take care of this. Phoebe kept observing from the corner of the building, watching nervously from them to the street leading to the factory.  
  
The second truck's engine roared and moved away. Then, Clay left it running about a hundred feet from the building, coming back hastily, and then climbing in the next one. Meanwhile, Cole maneuvered his own vehicle closer to the building. A low fence came crashing down under the truck's weight and Cole pulled to a stop against the front wall. Even then, no one seemed alerted and it raised his hope that very few people were left in there at this late hour. He didn't like the idea of killing civilians. Not even those manufacturing weapons for the army. Again however, he had to put aside his scruples, as the safety of his own people depended on their success.  
  
Even if she had expected it, Phoebe jumped when she heard the first siren. Looking out, she thought that she could see the telltale's column of smoke from where she stood, although she couldn't be certain. They had cut it very short; as such an event could bring out more of the enemy. However, Cole was already lighting up the Molotov cocktail and preparing to throw it into the truck…  
  
This was the signal for Phoebe to run toward the other trucks, but just at that moment, a car came rushing around the corner. Nervously, she went back to her hiding place, but immediately recognized the futility of the gesture. The newcomer would not be long in realizing that something was wrong. In fact, she wondered if they had not already been discovered. Cole turned toward the arriving car and this time, he pulled his revolver. They were too close to the completion of their task to leave anything to chance.  
  
He lined up the car as this one came to a screeching halt only fifty feet away, the door opening before it had stopped. Cole was ready to shoot and nearly did, but he saw on time that this was no enemy. One of their own was coming out, gesticulating nervously toward him. However, as Cole was beginning to relax, an unknown person came out of the car as well. Cole lifted the gun again, very suspicious:  
  
"Who's with you," he called to the young man.  
  
"Don't worry about him, he's friendly. We've got a problem however."  
  
Already, Cole didn't like the sound of this. Clay was coming back toward him and he pointed to the Molotov still burning in his other hand.  
  
"Maybe you should mind this thing," he told him, while indicating the truck behind him as well.  
  
Cole reacted irritably but used a piece of clothe to extinguish the Molotov.  
  
"We don't have any more time to lose! What is it," he then questioned the young man. He thought he remembered him as Carl, but wasn't too certain.  
  
"I'm sorry Captain, but one of the nurses got caught along with her partner."  
  
Phoebe came around upon hearing this, worried sick about her cousin.  
  
"Which one?" She asked brusquely.  
  
"Mam, I'm sorry, but I think it'd be your cousin."  
  
"NO!"  
  
Cole looked at the Molotov and Phoebe in turn, wondering what would be the best way to handle this. They had planned to pick up the other teams on the way out of the city, counting on the pandemonium caused by all the fires. But the situation had changed. Even if he hadn't been concerned for Piper' safety, the fact remained that there was also a risk they would tell the German about them.  
  
Clay interjected, indicating the unknown man:  
  
"And what about him?"  
  
"He helped us sir," the young man answered. "We might've been caught as well, but he took us in his car and led us here. He barely understands English, but still enough…"  
  
Right then, Paige also exited the car, pale as death.  
  
Seeing her there confirmed the bad news to Phoebe, as they were the only three females participating in the mission.  
  
Without more thought, she went toward Cole:  
  
"You got to do something! We can't leave her here."  
  
Cole was torn at this point. Now that these had been caught however, he expected the patrols to come around at any moment, and this told him what he should do in the immediate.  
  
"Miss Halliwell, we'll do what we can for your cousin. But right now, we have got to complete our mission. Even more so," he added as he was lighting up the Molotov again.  
  
Turning to the young man:  
  
"Do you think that man would mind me taking his car?"  
  
Clay looked at him curiously:  
  
"Why would you need this car?"  
  
"You and…Carl?" The young men acquiesced.  
  
"You will take the trucks to the rendezvous point," he pursued turning back to Clay, "I'll take the car and go back to see what I can do…"  
  
"No way! This is madness. We've got to save the ones we can," Clay insisted then. "No offense Phoebe, but it doesn't make any sense to risk everyone else. There are still six more people waiting for us to get them out…"  
  
Phoebe was about to protest but Cole interrupted:  
  
"Clay, if they talk…"  
  
His copilot didn't need more but still didn't agree.  
  
"With the mess we're leaving behind, it will take them time to catch up with us anyway. But if we wait for you…"  
  
"No, no need to wait. I want you to pick up everyone, and as soon as it's safe, get out of town. Follow the plan and get to the border. I might still be able to catch up with you if all goes well…"  
  
"I still say it's madness," Clay protested, albeit weakly.  
  
Cole ignored this too, and turned briefly toward the young man.  
  
"As for your friend, Carl?"  
  
"It's all right with him. Anyway, he wants to come with us. As a matter of fact, he has a favor to ask…"  
  
"Clay'll deal with it," Cole interrupted, as he lifted his arm, ready to throw.  
  
"Now I suggest that you run," he added, cutting all protests. He couldn't help looking at Phoebe however, who had kept curiously silent throughout this exchange. He caught her watching him with a puzzled, if still worried expression.  
  
"What are you still doing here? Go! Now!" Cole said imperatively.  
  
Clay and the others were already running toward the trucks, while Phoebe still hesitated.  
  
"Miss Halliwell, you have to get out of here…I promise you that I'll do my best to get your cousin back."  
  
Phoebe nodded apprehensively and was about to go after the others, when the door to the building opened, letting two more soldiers out, obviously alerted. Cole, realizing the danger to Phoebe and him, didn't waste any more time and threw the Molotov in the back of the truck. Then quickly, he grabbed Phoebe's arm and pushed her toward the car, whose door was still opened. A barrage of bullets rained by the car, just as he was putting it in gear… However by then, the soldiers had realized the danger since the fire was rapidly spreading in the back of the truck. Cole gave a quick look toward the other vehicles, and saw that they were now moving away. He turned the car around, speeding away after catching a glimpse of the soldiers running scared themselves. The first explosion shook the car almost off the ground, but it wasn't to be the last. Even if they managed to get to a safe distance, their ears still rang from the repeated detonations. Phoebe looked back, and even from a ways, she could see flames high in the air emanating a thick smoke. It didn't take long for emergency vehicles to come their way, but as they had surmised, they were not stopped and no one tried to verify who they were. They sped up toward the other side of town, where they could see more fires burning. In spite of the mishap, the result was very satisfying. They noticed people running in the streets while many more were getting to their vehicles and fleeing the city. With luck, all this agitation would give his team the cover they needed to get out, no questions asked. At this point of his musings, Cole spotted an alley and entered it abruptly, almost hitting a wall in doing so. Phoebe nearly passed out after being thrown against the windshield. Then, she gave Cole an irritated look when they finally came to a halt.  
  
"Where did you get your driver's license?"  
  
Cole turned toward her with an answer ready, but he changed his mind when he saw how scared she looked.  
  
"I'm sorry I had to get you into this," he uttered sincerely.  
  
"But you should've gone with them right away."  
  
"Right," Phoebe answered, looking outside the car as if she expected the whole Reichswehr to fall upon them at any moment.  
  
"We're safe for now," he added, trying to sound reassuring.  
  
"It's not me I'm worried about," Phoebe uttered nervously. "How are we supposed to help Piper?"  
  
At the moment, Cole had no idea how exactly he was going to do it. He only knew that he couldn't leave them behind without trying to save them. However, Phoebe being with him complicated things. He had made this rash decision that them, being his responsibility, he had to risk everything to go after Piper and her partner. It had never included risking Phoebe's life in the bargain.  
  
"So," she insisted.  
  
He bit his lips pensively, not looking at her. Then he replied:  
  
"I want you to stay put. Don't show yourself to anyone, and if I'm not back in an hour, you go alone. A woman by herself, even in men's clothing, should not attract their attention. Particularly not tonight…"  
  
To support his argument, another explosion, this one much louder than the preceding ones, resounded. Even from the distance, it shook them.  
  
"Well, I think that the factory must be burning by now. If I'm ever going to have a chance at getting them back, it's now."  
  
Phoebe had let him say his piece and it actually surprised him. However, as soon as he was done talking, she grabbed the doorknob.  
  
Seeing this, he questioned irritably:  
  
"Where the hell do you think you're going? Didn't you hear a word I said?"  
  
Keeping her hand firmly where it was, she turned to him with an air of determination.  
  
"I heard every word, but I'm not staying here."  
  
Cole closed his eyes, breathing deeply at this.  
  
"Miss Halliwell, I won't have you take any more risk that you have to."  
  
"Captain," she replied just as strongly, "It's my life and my cousin. I'm going with you! Besides, you might need me."  
  
"For what?" he asked too harshly.  
  
She didn't answer, and instead got out of the car first. Cole rolled his eyes at her bold attitude, but couldn't find anything more to say in order to keep her there, short of knocking her out. For a moment, he entertained the thought of actually doing it…  
  
Reluctantly, he joined her outside the car instead.  
  
"You're insane, you know that," he still uttered irritably, as they started toward the main street.  
  
"No more than you are…" she simply affirmed.  
  
He stopped for an instant, watching her going and wondering if he should get angry with her. Yet, in spite of the adverse situation, deep down, he couldn't help being glad that she was with him. No matter that there was no affection in their exchanges, they were still talking.  
  
Phoebe was walking ahead and forcing herself not to look back. The Captain confused her thoroughly. On the one hand, she saw him as this insensitive playboy, with no regard for her feelings or anyone's feelings for that matter. Then, all of sudden, he was willing to risk everything to save those two people, even against incredible odds. What she hadn't told him and wouldn't, was that she had another reason for having stayed behind. As worried as she was about Piper, she had also been petrified at the idea that he could be hurt or worse. Just the same as she had felt in the cave. The realization of this had made her angry with herself, but she couldn't help it. Whereas she had convinced herself that she hated him until that moment, everything changed afterward. She still couldn't see herself trusting him completely, but she couldn't bear the idea of never seeing him again. Those contradicting ideas were floating in her mind and distracting her. So much so that when she arrived to the main street, she didn't see the danger. A group of soldiers was running toward their position. She'd have bumped into them if Cole hadn't pulled her back and pinned her against the wall, to her utter annoyance. She tried to protest, but he put his hand on her mouth firmly. Only then did she hear the sound of heavy boots coming their way quickly. As they came in front of the alley, one of them stopped and looked in their direction. Cole took a split second decision then and bent toward Phoebe, kissing her passionately. If at first, she was angry about it, she still didn't push him away for fear of the soldier's reaction. However, she had to admit to herself that she was easily taken in that kiss. For a short instant, she felt like in the forest, as if the rest of the world had fallen away, leaving them blissfully alone. Then, the soldier broke the moment:  
  
"(Who goes there?) Wer geht da?"  
  
They heard the imperative voice, but didn't understand a word he was saying. At any rate, Cole didn't let go of her, pretending not to have noticed him.  
  
"(Soldier, you are needed! And what the hell are you doing?) Soldat, du wirst gebraucht. Und was zur Hoelle machst du?," he exclaimed in disgust when he thought that he saw Cole kissing another man.  
  
His exclamation caught the attention of the other soldiers, who had been waiting only a few feet passed the alley. They slowly came back toward it, as the first soldier took a few steps toward Phoebe and Cole.  
  
Sensing this, Cole pulled the gun out of his belt, ready to shoot. She felt his gesture and her heart skipped a beat. Then, she heard the safety being removed, and worried that the sound would carry to the soldier, even if it was unlikely considering the agitation nearby. Cole left her lips and looked directly at her, trying to impress on her that she should run away.  
  
However, her expression told him more than any words that she would not. Earnestly, and as he prepared to defend the both of them, he realized that he had seen what he wanted to see in her eyes, just now that they probably would both die at the hands of these soldiers…  
  
He half turned toward the newcomer, while still concealing the gun between Phoebe and him, when a loud voice startled all of them:  
  
"Hans!" 


	9. The Wings of Love (Chapter IX)

The Wings of Love  
  
Chapter IX  
  
  
  
  
  
Phoebe jumped at the loud voice. She looked up at Cole, and he seemed just as startled. The voice had come from the street, and the soldier, who had been too close for comfort, turned toward the newcomer.  
  
"Werner was machst du hier? Ich habe jetzt gerade keine Zeit fuer dich, dass musst du doch sicherlich sehen.  
  
(Werner, what are you doing here? I don't have time for you right now. Surely you must see that.)"  
  
"Hallo, (Hey,)" said Werner, as he approached, "ich bin nicht hinter dir her. Ich bin hinter Franz her...  
  
(I'm not really here for you. I'm after Franz here…)"  
  
"Wer ist Franz?  
  
(Who the hell is Franz?)"  
  
A very big man came into view. He had a jovial, almost childlike expression, but his large size could still impose respect. As he came closer to the soldier called Hans, it was obvious that he stood at least a head over the already tall soldier, and he was twice as large around the chest. Both Phoebe and Cole watched this exchange with an uneasy sense of expectation and dread. For one, they had no idea what was being said. Cole kept the gun hidden and started looking around for a way to use this distraction. Unfortunately, by then the other soldiers had entered the alley as well. Defeated, he decided to wait until the two men's exchange ended before making his move, hoping that the situation would have changed by then, somehow. He could feel Phoebe trembling slightly against him and it only heightened the sinking feeling of helplessness. Meanwhile, the big man was continuing the conversation, but also indicating them excitedly.  
  
"Das ist er, der Bastard. Er hat mein Maedchen direkt unter meiner Nase weggestolen. Ich muss mal ein Wort mit ihm haben...  
  
(That's him, the bastard. He stole my girl right under my nose. I got to have a word with him…"  
  
"Werner, dass muss warten. Siehst du nicht das wir beschaeftigt sind, wie ich dir eben schon gesagt habe.  Ausserdem, falls das das Maedchen ist ueber das du redest solltest du dir eine Brille kaufen oder von deiner Groesse runtergucken.  
  
(Werner, this'll have to wait. Don't you see that we're kind of busy as I told you before? Besides,)" the soldier added with a mocking smile, "Ich denke du hattst zu viele... Der merkwuerdige Typ kuesst einen Jungen, nicht ein Maedchen...  
  
(if that's the girl you're talking about, you should buy some glasses or look down from your height. I think you've been had… That creep's kissing a boy, not a girl…)"  
  
Werner frowned, then after looking intently at Cole and Phoebe, he exploded in loud laughter.  
  
"Komm schon, ich denke du bist derjenige der eine Brille braucht. Doris hat vielleicht seltsame Ideen fuer ihre Kleidung, aber sie ist eine Frau  
  
(Come on, I think you're the one who needs glasses. Doris may have eccentric ideas about her clothing, but she's still a woman.)"  
  
Hans turned to them and looked closely.  
  
"Hm, auch wenn ich eine schwere Zeit habe zu glauben das du dir eine Frau gefunden hast, ist das nicht der Punkt. Was immer fuer ein Geschaeft du mit ihm hast kann warten bis die Kriese vorbei ist.  
  
(Hum, even if I've got trouble believing that you found yourself a girl, anyway, that's not the point. Whatever business you got with him can wait until the crisis is over.)"  
  
Hans then made another move toward Cole and Phoebe, but Werner grabbed his arm.  
  
"Oh komm schon. Lass es mich nur mit denen klaeren und ich verspreche dir das genug zum kaempfen an ihm uebrig bleibt was immer es ist gegen das du heute kaempfen willst.  
  
(Oh come on. Let me just clear this out with them and I promise you that there'll be enough pieces left of Franz to go fight whatever it is you're fighting today.)"  
  
Hans looked back and forth between Werner and the couple. Then, he made a decision.  
  
"Einverstanden, aber es ist nur fuer dich. Und auch nur falls ein Maedchen in dich interessiert ist glaube ich das du einfach vorsuchen solltest an das dort zu halten…  
  
(Alright, but it's just for you. And just because I figure that if a girl got interested in you, you might as well try to hold on to that one…)"  
  
The obvious insinuation didn't seem to bother Werner at all, as a smile appeared on his lips.  
  
"Danke Hans, du bist ein guter Bruder. (Thanks Hans, you're a good brother.)"  
  
"Ich muss schon sagen, der Soldat sieht nicht sonderlich klug aus. Er und sie waeren vielleicht ganz gut zusammen gegangen.  
  
(I'll say though, that soldier looks to me like he's not too bright anyway. He and she might have gone well together,)" Hans added, visibly amused.  
  
This time, Werner reacted to the obvious insult.  
  
"Hans, wenn du nicht mein Bruder waerst... (Hans, if you weren't my brother…)"  
  
"Verbreite das bloss nicht  
  
(Don't spread what I did around,)" Hans said, dismissing his brother's irritation and looking back at the group of soldiers with a hint of apprehension. However, these were obviously entertained by the exchange and didn't seem to mind what he'd done. Hans thought that they probably weren't in any hurry to get into the action.  
  
Turning toward them, he still added for Werner:  
  
"Bringe ihn bloss nicht um, okay? Auch wenn der Idiot Hitler dient. Und ausserdem waere Mutter traurig wenn du erwischt werden wuerdest.  
  
(Just don't kill him, alright? Even an idiot can serve Hitler. And besides, mother would be upset if you were caught.)"  
  
Hans chuckled as he thought that he was very funny.  
  
As he left without waiting for an answer, Werner watched him going with what looked like contempt to Cole. Seeing the soldiers going caused mitigated relief to Cole and Phoebe, but Cole couldn't help wondering if the situation got better or worse. Tightening his hold on the gun, he waited tensely, even as Werner headed in their direction.  
  
Indeed, Werner kept a very serious expression as he went. Stopping a few feet from them, he began in German:  
  
"Was hast du in meinem Auto gemacht?  
  
(What were you doing in my car?)"  
  
The big man paused and eyed them threateningly. However, Phoebe got the feeling that he might not be the enemy they feared, and she put her hand firmly on Cole's arm. This one cast an annoyed look at her, but she ignored this, as she went on observing Werner. The big man was becoming increasingly impatient.  
  
"Bist du taub? Was hast du mit Heinrich gemacht?  
  
(Are you deaf? What did you do with Heinrich?)"  
  
Werner finally realized that he wasn't being understood.  
  
"Hm, entweder bist du so doof wie Hans sagt...  
  
(Hum, either you're as stupid as Hans said…)"  
  
Then, he tried in English:  
  
"Are you the Americans Heinrich went to look for? And what did you do with the people that were with him?"  
  
Cole hesitated still.  
  
"Maybe I should've left you to my brother," Werner added then.  
  
At this point, Phoebe plunged, to Cole's utter annoyance:  
  
"We are friends with those people you're talking about, but who are you?"  
  
"My name is Werner. First, I wanna know where Heinrich and the others are?"  
  
Cole, seeing that this wasn't going so bad, questioned in turn:  
  
"Is Heinrich the guy who helped my friends?"  
  
"Yes, yes he is…Where is he? I was expecting him back…"  
  
Cole still eyed the big man suspiciously:  
  
"Why?"  
  
Werner moved a little closer, while both Cole and Phoebe couldn't help feeling cornered, so imposing he was.  
  
"He was supposed to ask you for a favour and then come back here…"  
  
"Well," Cole answered slowly, "I think that he'll have asked this favour of my friends. We needed the car to rescue our companions who were taken…"  
  
Again, Werner seemed to be getting upset at this.  
  
"If you don't help us, they'll find them and kill them, or send them to a camp!"  
  
"Who are you talking about," Phoebe asked.  
  
"The family we wanted you to take away from here. That's what Heinrich went there to ask…"  
  
Cole opened wide eyes at this.  
  
"What? We've already got enough problems with our own group. We can't add a family of civilians to this…I'm sure that my friend will have explained this to Heinrich…"  
  
Werner frowned:  
  
"We helped your friends… And there are only four of them."  
  
Cole pondered this for a while, under the German's scrutiny.  
  
"Well, I don't know what Clay'll do, and I have no way to verify this right now. We've got a more pressing problem with our own friends…"  
  
Werner kept silent for a moment longer, and then added:  
  
"If your friend…Clay…? If he doesn't take them, you've got to promise me that you will. If yes, I'll help you get your people out."  
  
Cole put the gun back in its holster and waited a beat before giving him an answer, as this didn't enter into his plan. Meanwhile, Phoebe was watching him and he got the feeling that she nevertheless expected him to agree. With an annoyed sigh, he finally told Werner:  
  
"Ok, I'll give it a try. Do you know where the prisoners are kept?"  
  
Werner smiled then, and simply motioned them to follow him back to the car.  
  
"Thank you," Phoebe whispered only for Cole, as Werner was taking the lead.  
  
Cole turned to her and stopped, asking mockingly:  
  
"Is it my imagination, or were you just nice to me?"  
  
Phoebe shrugged and kept on walking, while she uttered:  
  
"Don't get used to it."  
  
He watched her going uncertainly for a moment longer. Then, in spite of their predicament, a joyous smile spread his lips as he started back toward them.  
  
Leo watched anxiously, as six of their numbers were returning among the pandemonium the city seemed to have become. Even from where he was, he could hear the detonations from the other side of town; even feel the earth shaking from some of them. However, that wasn't what worried him. Piper had not returned yet. The ones who had were of no help, as they had been separated from the other group. They'd heard a lot of clamours, but they couldn't tell whether it had anything to do with the others' failure to return, or simply with the spreading of the fire. Leo had just about made up his mind to go look for himself when the first truck came their way. In the dark, they couldn't be sure if it was one of them in the driver's seat, and at any rate, it passed them without stopping. Only when the second one came to a halt in front of them did they venture out of their hiding place. Leo recognized Paige in the cabin and sighed in relief, thinking that most probably Piper and her companion must be in this one or the first truck. He would've preferred seeing her, but the others pushed him toward the back of the truck. They soon were on their way.  
  
The actual ride was short, as the rest of their group was waiting for them a few miles down the road. As soon as the second truck stopped, Leo jumped out, running toward the first one. He looked in the back and, not finding her, hurried toward the cabin. When he saw only Clay with a strange man, he got a sinking feeling. Ignoring the stranger, he immediately acted on his most pressing concern, questioning:  
  
"Clay, where is Piper? And for that matter, where are Cole and that other nurse, Phoebe?"  
  
He waited for an answer, but this one was not forthcoming, as Clay seemed preoccupied, as well as obviously angry.  
  
"I should've stayed behind," he told himself. "Leave it to that idiot to endanger Phoebe…"  
  
"Clay," Leo exclaimed then, his anxiety going through the roof, "where are the others."  
  
Clay turned to him as if he'd just noticed Leo. This one barely needed to be told, as he could easily read Clay's troubled expression.  
  
"Leo, I'm sorry…Piper and her companion were taken prisoners, and Cole…Cole went after them… and he brought Phoebe along," he added with renewed anger.  
  
"What? How? What are we doing here? We've got to go back for them…"  
  
Without waiting for an answer, Leo ran toward the first truck, going directly to the driver's side. He opened the door and was about to practically pull the driver out, when he felt strong hands grabbing him from behind.  
  
"Wait a minute, Leo," Clay uttered firmly, "you can't go running off, and certainly not in one of those trucks. It was hard enough to get them out for us to risk them being retaken…"  
  
Leo turned angrily toward Clay:  
  
"If you think that I'll go anywhere without Piper and Cole, you've got another one coming." As he was saying it, he shook himself out of Clay's grip and tried again to climb into the truck.  
  
"Leo," Clay screamed this time, grabbing him again, "you're not the only one who's worried, ok?"  
  
Leo wouldn't hear it, however, as he pulled his arm back, preparing to punch Clay out of his way. Clay was faster however, and knocked him down with a punch of his own. Leo fell to the ground heavily, but was still trying to get back up, even as Clay tried reasoning with him.  
  
"Leo, for a doctor, you're not very rational. Besides, for all we know, Cole may already be on his way back…"  
  
Leo took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. However, even if he managed to relax somewhat, he was left with a terrible sense of foreboding. Swallowing hard, he stared at Clay:  
  
"What are we supposed to do?"  
  
"We've got to follow the plan, just as Cole suggested." Leo was about to protest, but Clay pursued hastily:  
  
"I wanna go back just as much as you do, Leo. Problem is… we're responsible for everyone, not just them. We've got to get the ones we can out of here. Cole, and even the others, would expect no less of us…"  
  
Leo let out a short, discouraged sigh, but couldn't find anything to counter Clay's arguments.  
  
Piper looked around the small cell in panic. Her companion had been taken away quite a while prior, presumably for interrogation. She hoped that the others made it out, but still worried about what would happen to her. The door suddenly burst opened and a bright light blinded her, as she moved back nervously. So much so that she only guessed that the disturbing thudding noise she heard must have been her companion being thrown back in the cell. The door soon closed, to her relief, as she had expected to be next. As she was trying to adjust her sight to the returning darkness, she heard a moan coming from her companion.  
  
"Robert? Are you ok?" She whispered, somewhat fearfully.  
  
He didn't answer right away, and she blindly extended her hand toward him.  
  
"Robert?" She insisted in a slightly steadier voice.  
  
This one slurred painfully:  
  
"It's ok, I'll live…I think…"  
  
"What did they do to you?"  
  
"It doesn't matter…they didn't get anything out of me… But I'm afraid they'll be back…"  
  
As she finally could see a little better, she realized that he had been seriously beaten. His lips were swollen, and his eyes half closed and already turning black.  
  
"Oh my god, Robert…"  
  
"That's ok Piper…I'm more worried about you…"  
  
Piper looked away.  
  
"What are we gonna do?"  
  
Robert didn't answer, and as she looked back, she realized that he'd passed out.  
  
For a moment she thought that her fears would overwhelm her. She only kept the panic at bay by concentrating on her companion, as she tried to tend to his injuries the best she could. It didn't keep her from worrying however. Afraid that her end might be coming soon, a poignant regret occupied her thoughts…  
  
"Leo," she said in a whisper…  
  
Leo was watching the road fixedly, as the trucks made their way ever so further from the town they had just ransacked. He felt this like a betrayal, a torture that he felt deeply, which was slowly eating up at him. He resented Clay for his logic, even though he understood that the co-pilot wasn't feeling much better about their flight. The both of them hadn't said a single word since they had started down the road. Absently, he noticed a few cars coming toward them, but no one seemed to pay them much attention. They were probably used to see military vehicles at all hours in these parts. This fact did nothing to alleviate his remorse, as he felt even guiltier by not being in danger. More than once, he was tempted to jump off the truck and go back. How could he have left her like this?  
  
"Piper," he whispered helplessly.  
  
As he returned his attention to the road, the strange shimmering reoccurred.  
  
"What is happening here," Leo asked Piper, as he was staring at the window apprehensively.  
  
"You ask me? I was about to ask you the same thing, then I blacked out…"  
  
Leo turned to her worriedly:  
  
"You blacked out too? Are you ok? Do you want me to check you out?"  
  
"I'm fine now, but I'd feel better if I knew what the heck's happening to us."  
  
Through the window, they could see the raging electric storm. It was like nothing they had ever seen. Each lightning bolt were brightly coloured, and hit much too close to the plane for comfort.  
  
"I'll find a quiet place and orb us up to the Elders," Leo said then, looking from the strange weather to Piper with a sense of foreboding.  
  
"No, you go…I'll be fine. Just hurry back!"  
  
"It doesn't feel right to leave you behind…I can't help thinking that it's a mistake…"  
  
Piper looked up at him curiously.  
  
"Do you remember something?"  
  
"Not really, just impressions. Do you?"  
  
"Well, I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about this blackout…"  
  
"Come on," Leo firmly said then, "you're coming with me."  
  
Piper was tempted to protest again, but didn't.  
  
As they got up though, Leo saw for the first time the old couple sitting by Cole and Phoebe. The sight was a shock for both of them, as it took them only a second to recognize Phoebe in the old woman. Piper almost exclaimed at seeing Clay there as well. But it was nothing compared to the old couple's reaction to Leo.  
  
Clay opened wide eyes as he saw him coming toward them.  
  
"Leo Wyatt? How's that possible?"  
  
"Pardon me?" Leo replied, more out of habit at hiding his true identity than actual worry.  
  
"Are you Leo Wyatt, the same one I knew during the war," Clay asked hesitantly.  
  
The young Phoebe and Cole didn't even react to this, as they seemed somewhat spaced out. He didn't have time to ponder this however, as the old Phoebe said somewhat nervously:  
  
"Clay, this can't be! Leo died almost fifty years ago, you know that." Yet, even as she was saying this, she gave a closer look at Piper and her face turned ashen.  
  
"Piper? That's impossible…"  
  
"I just told you, didn't I," Clay uttered irritably. Still, he couldn't help the trembling in his voice, as this, along with the other strange events and visions, was just about too much for him.  
  
"What on earth is happening here?"  
  
Leo and Piper looked at each other more puzzled by the moment. The old couple was as much a surprise to them. However, Leo did the only thing he could think of:  
  
"I'm sorry but I'm afraid you're mistaken. We're not who you're saying we are…"  
  
Leo felt Piper reacting, but he squeezed her hand tight to try silencing her. Even without looking at her, he could imagine the face she was making. Yet, she kept quiet.  
  
"But… but you look exactly like him and…that woman…"  
  
Leo pulled Piper toward the back of the plane at this point, just as old Phoebe turned to Clay.  
  
"She looks exactly like Piper did all those years ago. Clay, I'm scared…"  
  
"There's got to be a logical explanation for all of this…"  
  
"Yeah? Well, I'm waiting to hear it…"  
  
That's all Leo and Piper got, as Leo hurried them along.  
  
Once they were alone, he immediately tried orbing out, but nothing would do.  
  
"What is it, Leo?"  
  
This one turned to her with deepening concern.  
  
"I don't have the faintest. I can't orb out of here…"  
  
"Www..What? Why?"  
  
"Told you, I don't know. What's the deal here? How could Phoebe be that woman, and most of all, why won't our Phoebe and Cole react?"  
  
Piper had been so surprised by the old couple that she hadn't noticed this.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Leo didn't answer, as he seemed to suddenly think of something, or that's what Piper surmised.  
  
"Leo, do you have a clue what's happening here?"  
  
"I don't know, it's just…I can't help but thinking that the blackouts, this old couple, and all the rest are connected somehow…"  
  
"Well, the moment you're sure, let me know, because right now I'm freaking out…"  
  
Leo was about to add something when he saw the shimmering light coming back. This time however, he seemed to be suspended in between the two realities for a moment, and knew almost for certain what it was about. He tried to tell Piper, as he could see her slipping away from him, then everything went black.  
  
The trunk was cramped and Phoebe could feel Cole against her back with a mix of discomfort and something that she would've preferred wasn't there, excitement. They were constantly rocking back and forth, as they obviously were driving down an uneven road. Phoebe could almost see the smirk on his face, as she felt his warm breath against her neck.  
  
"Not too uncomfortable, I hope?" His voice was somewhat suggestive along with trace of mockery.  
  
She shrugged irritably, but in the confined environment, it only served at bringing her closer to him, as she felt herself rolling slightly toward him.  
  
"Don't go getting any idea," she still said as firmly as she could in the circumstances. Nevertheless, she worried that he could hear the trembling in her voice.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it…Or maybe I would. I must admit that from where I…lie, this is rather pleasant…"  
  
Utterly embarrassed and angry at the insinuation, she tried to move away from him, but ended up hitting her head hard on something that she couldn't see.  
  
She let out a muffled scream of pain, and Cole pulled her back to him.  
  
"What is it? Are you ok?"  
  
His arms were now around her and that was almost all she could take. Her head still hurt, but the desire that ran through her then was overwhelming. She knew this was ridiculous in their situation, and also against all the resolves she had taken that very morning, yet she couldn't help wanting him.  
  
"Are you ok," he questioned again, while pulling her even closer. She finally managed to reply weakly:  
  
"I'm fine, let go of me."  
  
He must have felt the hesitation in her voice, because he held on, even caressing her arm as he did so.  
  
"Don't do this," she whispered, even if she truly didn't want him to stop.  
  
Obviously, he understood the non verbal better because his hand slowly made its way toward her waist.  
  
"I said don't do this," she tried to protest weakly again, but her voice sounded breathless.  
  
His hand still stopped moving, but he didn't remove it.  
  
"If you really mean it," he whispered then, his face only inches from her cheek.  
  
Phoebe didn't have much experience in those matters, but it didn't take much to know how hard it was for him to resist the temptation to continue. This only exacerbated her need for him. So much so that in spite of her protests, she slowly inched her face toward him and then searched for his lips. This moment had been so intense that neither one had realized the car had stopped. As their now parted lips were about to meet, the trunk opened unceremoniously, and Werner exclaimed mockingly:  
  
"Hey you two, save it for later…"  
  
Phoebe melted from embarrassment again, and quickly pulled away from Cole. As she got out of the car, she was grateful for the relative darkness of night, because she knew how red her face must have been. Cole came out of the trunk in turn without responding to Werner's insinuation either. He watched her intensely for a moment, and Phoebe had to look away. Then, back to the business at hand, he asked Werner:  
  
"Are we here?" This, he said as he looked around in puzzlement. He couldn't see the prisoner camp Werner told them about.  
  
"It's just around this bush," Werner said, while once more taking the lead without waiting for an answer.  
  
Cole gave one more look toward Phoebe, but this one was hurrying passed him to follow Werner, avoiding his eyes.  
  
Cole watched her go, and then sighed before starting behind them.  
  
In spite of her apprehension, Piper had dozed off while leaning against a wall. She woke up suddenly, thinking that she heard some commotion outside the cell, and she looked down toward Robert fearfully. This one had apparently not regained consciousness. She then watched the door, trembling uncontrollably. When it burst opened, she uttered an involuntary scream. Two men entered the cell and immediately walked toward them. In very accented English, one of them asked brusquely:  
  
"So, is your friend ready to talk?"  
  
Piper couldn't say a word however, her throat constricted by abject fear. The other man came closer and then he kicked Robert hard. This one didn't even react at this, and Piper realized painfully that he must be in some sort of coma.  
  
"Well," the first one began, "it looks like he won't be of any use to us anymore…"  
  
The second one pulled a gun from his belt and, leaning toward Robert, he shot him point blank in the head.  
  
Piper found her voice then to utter an agonizing scream, as the first man was watching her with a cruel smirk.  
  
"Well, let this serve as a lesson. That's how we treat spies who won't talk… We're gonna give you some time to think about it, but we'll be back…"  
  
As soon as he had finished, both men turned around and left the cell, barking some orders to a guard nearby. Meanwhile, Piper was staring at her companion's lifeless form with tears of sorrow and fright in her eyes. She slowly pulled her legs up toward her chin, instinctively trying to make herself smaller, wishfully invisible, as the guard came in and dragged Robert's body out of the cell. The door slammed behind him, startling her. She then began sobbing hopelessly... 


	10. The Wings of Love (Chapter X)

The Wings of Love  
  
Chapter X  
  
  
  
"Hey, Freund! Wo sind die gefaehrlichen Feinde von denen mein Bruder mir erzaehlt hat?  
  
(Hey, friend! Where are those dangerous enemies my brother told me about?)"  
  
The guard turned around abruptly and was faced with a giant of a man. This one was smiling happily, as if he was there for a circus show.  
  
"Wovon zur Hoelle redest du? Zivilisten sind in diesem Kamp nicht erlaubt.  
  
(What the hell are you talking about? Civilians are not allowed in this camp!)"  
  
"Oh komm schon, ich will sie selbst sehen. Hast du die Unordnung gesehen die sie in der Stadt gemacht haben? Die muessen schon was zum angucken sein!  
  
(Oh come on, I wanna see them for myself. Did you see the mess they made in town? They must be something to look at!)"  
  
"Beweg dich, Mann. Oder du endest ab sie von der Innenseite der Zelle zu sehen.  
  
(Move along man! Or you'll end up seeing them from the inside of the cell!)"  
  
"In Ordung, in Ordnung" (Werner sagte dann), "aber du bist kein spass."  
  
"(Alright, alright," Werner said then, "but you're no fun.)"  
  
From behind the bush Werner had indicated earlier, Cole and Phoebe observed the exchange with appalled expressions. Cole had not been able to hold back the big man when he started casually walking up to the guard. Now, Werner was apparently turning back, and in their mind, he had simply spoiled the element of surprise. However, even as the thought formed in their minds, Werner swirled around much faster than Cole believed him capable of, and he hit the guard hard over the head in one swift move. This one looked up in utter surprise before dropping heavily to the ground. Werner glanced back at their hiding place with the same big grin he had shown the guard earlier:  
  
"What are you waiting for?"  
  
Cole grimaced, but cautiously started toward him, while Werner dragged the guard into his cubicle. When Phoebe tried to follow, however, Cole stopped and stood firmly before her.  
  
"There's no need for you to come along. Stay here and we'll be back with your cousin in no time."  
  
Phoebe looked up irritably.  
  
"I've come this far, I'm not staying behind…"  
  
Cole glared at her with a mix of worry and impatience. However, Phoebe sustained his stare steadily, surprising him, as if all her previous discomfort seemed forgotten.  
  
Cole still tried to convince her:  
  
"There's no reason for you to take this risk. You saw Werner in action. We won't need you in there."  
  
Phoebe gave him one last dismissive look, and then she simply walked around him, ignoring his cautionary advice.  
  
For a few seconds, he stood there, barely believing that she was again acting so recklessly. Then he hurried behind her, mumbling:  
  
"You've got to be the most irritating woman I've ever met…"  
  
Phoebe was still angry with herself for almost giving in to her earlier urges, but his disgruntled reaction amused her. In spite of the precarious situation they were in, she couldn't help smiling with satisfaction. Her amusement was short lived however. From the moment they entered the camp, they had to constantly hide to avoid detection either from the large spotlight constantly surveying the camp and from a few soldiers walking about, even at this late hours. They ran from barrack to barrack to conceal their advance, but as luck had it, no one saw them. Cole watched the big man going ahead of him, and was again amazed at how swift and stealthy he could be. His size alone would have suggested gaucheness, yet, he threaded along adroitly, as if he'd done this all his life. They had already made their way well into the camp, when they heard a gun shot followed by a horrified scream. Phoebe practically bumped into Werner's back, as he stopped short and then pushed her behind the nearest barrack. Cole rejoined them quickly and the three of them saw two officers coming out of a bunker. Werner indicated the bunker insistently, telling them that this must be their objective. This didn't do anything to reassure the other two about the fate of their friends, as they were certain that the commotion had come from inside that building. One of officers barked an order at the sentinel and this one immediately entered it. They were floored to see him returning less than a minute later, dragging a shape that could only be a body. Phoebe, forgetting altogether about their situation, tried to run to the guard as she was worried sick about Piper. Cole grabbed her just in time and, as she began to protest, he repeated his gesture from the alley, silencing her by covering her mouth with his hand. For a second, she was tempted to bite him and try to go anyway, but his worried expression actually gave her second thoughts. She still pushed his hand away while glaring at him.  
  
"Stop doing this," she mumbled angrily.  
  
"Then stop being so reckless," Cole replied in the same tone of voice.  
  
It was still loud enough for Werner to hear however.  
  
"Hey, you two, didn't I tell you to save it," he whispered, as he gave them a quick glance. This time, he didn't sound amused at all, and instead, they could feel the tension in his voice. Nevertheless, after a moment and without warning, he again left their hiding place to walk out in the open, startling Phoebe and Cole. The latter sighed in exasperation, but he still went out cautiously behind him. Werner seemed to hesitate between going directly toward the bunker and following the guard. However, before Cole could reach him, he had already made up his mind to go after the latter. This one being burdened with the corpse, it didn't take long for Werner to catch up with him, and then, he dispatched the guard with the same ease as he had the first one.  
  
As Cole came to his side, he couldn't help commenting irritably:  
  
"Could you be more conspicuous? Laying down bodies as you go is not the way to keep our little visit secret. They might just remember you later on top of that… You're not exactly forgettable, you know?"  
  
Werner frowned at him, but instead of trying to defend his actions, he bent toward the guard and patted him until he found what he was looking for. He got up triumphantly, holding a set of keys. These, he dropped toward Cole, who nearly missed them. Then, without a word, and oblivious to Cole's irritated stare, Werner went back to the guard and picked him up like he weighed nothing, carrying him all the way to a trench, which was some kind of mass grave. Meanwhile, Phoebe kneeled besides Robert's body, unable to contain her sorrow at the sad spectacle. She was ashamed by the relief she'd felt at seeing him there instead of Piper, but she also felt terrible for the medic. She shrugged irritably when a hand came to rest on her shoulders, but she still looked up with tears in her eyes.  
  
Cole was watching her sympathetically, and from the look of him, she thought that he might have guessed at her conflicted feelings.  
  
"Come on… There's nothing we can do for him anymore… Your cousin's most probably in that bunker."  
  
Phoebe tried to protest:  
  
"We can't leave him here…"  
  
"I'm sorry to be blunt, Miss Halliwell, but he's dead…Carrying him would only slow us down and reduce our chances to save your cousin."  
  
She reluctantly nodded in acquiescence. Then, after giving Robert one last look, she slowly stood up.  
  
Werner was already on his way back, but he stopped at seeing Phoebe by the body. Only when she and Cole were moving away, did he pick up Robert and carry him toward the same trench. Once there, he aimed for the guard, knowing that when he came to, this would at least be a reminder of the horror committed. He didn't delude himself in thinking that the man would actually feel bad for the medic, but maybe he would suffer through a few nightmares, he reflected. For a moment, he wondered if he shouldn't at least say a prayer, but he couldn't remember any just then. Sadly, he moved away.  
  
Meanwhile, Cole was trying the keys one by one in the first cell's keyhole. Besides this one, there were 9 more cells in the bunker and Cole hoped that they would find her quickly. He succeeded on the fifth attempt at unlocking the door and, as he opened it, Phoebe walked passed him impatiently. She stopped short just inside the cell, as the obscurity didn't allow her to distinguish who, if anyone was there. When her eyes became accustomed however, she noticed a vague form in a dark corner. Slowly, she headed in that direction.  
  
Piper was still trembling, trying her best to make herself as inconspicuous as she could. Irrationally, she pushed herself against the wall, almost believing that she could hide this way. In the doorway, she could see a man in uniform, but the person coming toward her, she couldn't bring herself to look at.  
  
"Piper," called a female's voice.  
  
Phoebe sighed in relief at seeing her there, but Piper reacted badly.  
  
This one was so panicked that, at first, she didn't recognize her cousin.  
  
"Leave me alone," she screamed almost hysterically.  
  
"Piper, it's me, Phoebe. Come on Piper, we came to get you out of here…"  
  
Her cousin still stayed in her prostrated position, obviously scared out of her mind. Phoebe bent toward her and tried to take her hand, but Piper removed it abruptly. Her reaction pained Phoebe, as she understood how horrible it must have been for her.  
  
"Please Piper, look at me… I promise you, everything will be fine. But we've got to go, now!"  
  
Slowly, Piper looked up, obviously only half convinced. However, when she finally recognized Phoebe, she exclaimed in a strangled voice:  
  
"Phoebe? Phoebe? Please, let it be you…"  
  
"I'm here, Piper!"  
  
Piper's eyes filled with tears and she let Phoebe hug her tight.  
  
After a moment, Phoebe had finally managed to nudge her up, but when Cole approached them, saying:  
  
"Lucky for us she was in this one. Let's go!"  
  
Piper threw herself back against the wall.  
  
"It's fine Piper…That's Captain Turner…Don't you see?"  
  
Cole was looking back and forth impatiently, while saying:  
  
"Let me help her. The sooner we're out of here, the better…"  
  
Piper still hesitated at letting him near, but she was so shaken that when he grabbed her arm, she didn't even have the strength to resist.  
  
"It's gonna be ok, Piper," Phoebe added soothingly, as she saw the doubts in her cousin's attitude.  
  
They were finally on their way when Phoebe noticed a moan coming from another cell.  
  
"Captain," she called to Cole softly.  
  
Cole was continuing on his way, dragging them along, but Phoebe stopped, and insisted:  
  
"Captain, please!"  
  
"What is it now?"  
  
"There are other people in here. We can't leave them behind…"  
  
"Miss Halliwell," he started in protest, but Phoebe interrupted him, almost pleading:  
  
"We can't let them suffer the same fate as Robert's…"  
  
Piper became more attentive at this and she also gave Cole a pleading look.  
  
He looked back toward the entrance to the bunker, just as Werner was coming in, startling him. Then, partly reassured, he turned back toward the girl and replied with a sigh:  
  
"This is crazy…"  
  
Yet, he still pulled out the set of keys and went to the next cell.  
  
Werner came closer.  
  
"Is she ok?" He asked Phoebe, as Piper eyed him with renewed fright. She tried to step away from him but Phoebe held on to her.  
  
"It's ok he's a friend, Piper."  
  
Cole had already managed to open the second cell and found no one. In the third one however, he found two men in tattered uniforms, obviously worse for wear themselves. He feared that they might be too weak to get out on their own, but as soon as they understood he wasn't an enemy, they stood up, ready to go.  
  
Without wait, he moved on to the next cell, while Werner went back to stand guard near the entrance. Cole was working as fast as he could, but as time went by, pearls of sweat formed on his forehead. He couldn't help thinking that every minute they wasted in this bunker was bringing them closer to get caught. In the end, he found only one more prisoner in the last cell, who thankfully could also walk. This one looked like a British officer to him. The man soon confirmed this, speaking with a heavy accent.  
  
"I don't know who you are," he said, "but thank you."  
  
"Wait until we're out of here to thank us," Cole replied, while turning around and taking the lead toward the doorway.  
  
"We shouldn't lose any more time," Cole said again once he had rejoined the others. To Werner, he asked:  
  
"Seen anything?"  
  
"No! The coast is clear, as you say…"  
  
Cole cast a worried look to the now inflated group behind him, wondering if they would really get out of there. At this point the officer came closer with a suggestion.  
  
"If you don't mind, I think that it'd be wiser if these men," he said, indicating the other two ex-prisoners, "and I went our own way."  
  
Cole saw the wisdom of his reasoning, but now that he had rescued them, he felt bad at the idea of abandoning them.  
  
"I don't know, you're all very weak…"  
  
"We can hold our own and there's no point in all of us being retaken if something goes wrong."  
  
Cole nodded hesitantly and the officer offered his hand with a nod of his own.  
  
"Good luck," the officer said in guise of goodbye before he signalled to the other soldiers. They left soon after.  
  
Cole, the girls and Werner waited a while longer before heading out of the bunker themselves. This after they were reassured that no one sounded the alarm.  
  
Werner closed their rear as they started again through the camp. After another nerve racking trip, they were coming out of it, when the dreaded siren sounded, telling them that someone had either found the other men, or uncovered the escape. As one of the bright spotlights was coming their way, they distinguished soldiers running in the bunker's direction. Others were scrambling out of a few barracks and looking around curiously. Cole roughly pushed Phoebe and Piper to the ground, just as the spotlight lit up their position for a beat. Phoebe lost her breath for a moment, not knowing if it was from fright or the shock of the fall. She worried that they still might have been spotted, but she didn't have time to dwell on this, as Cole was pulling Piper up, while Werner came to her side and did the same with her. As they began running, Phoebe worried that Piper wouldn't be able to keep up. However, it was obvious that fear was now giving her cousin a shot in the arm, and soon, all of them had made it to the bush. As they went around it, they heard dogs barking. They redoubled their efforts then, and rushed toward the car. Even from where they were, they could hear clamours coming from the camp, along with some engines roaring to life, telling them that the Germans were preparing to pursue. Cole feared that their chances of escaping might be slim. Surprisingly, Cole observed that Werner seemed unconcerned however, even as he put the car in gear and sped away. Cole kept glancing nervously behind, and was taken aback when the car swerved abruptly. He looked back at Werner questioningly and only then saw that the man had taken them on a side road he had not noticed was there before. Werner kept going for a good distance and Cole thought better than to question him. Instead, he resumed his watch of their rear, but thankfully no one came after them. The further they went, the more tortuous the road seemed to become, until it barely could be called a road at all. Then the car came to an abrupt halt about fifteen minutes later, throwing them all forward rudely. Cole turned irritably toward the driver, but this one didn't pay him any attention. Instead, he put the car in gear again and manoeuvred it slowly under the cover of trees, obviously to conceal it from possible pursuers. Then, Werner went out of the car without a word and started walking away. This puzzled Cole, as he couldn't see any habitations, or anything beside a thick wood, and the road stopped only a few feet from where they had stopped. Seeing that they were not following him, Werner signalled to them imperatively, and then he seemed to be engulfed by the forest.  
  
Cole hesitated a moment longer, and then he turned to the girls, who were huddled nervously in the back of the car.  
  
"I guess that our friend wants to show us something. It's better if we stay together, so…"  
  
Phoebe nodded yes and she encouraged her cousin to go out with her. Piper still looked around fearfully, unsure if they truly were safer than before. Phoebe shared her apprehension, but she tried to stay calm for her cousin. Even as they were starting in the direction Werner had taken, this one was coming back out of the woods, while impatiently motioning them to follow. When they finally started toward him, they found a narrow trail among the trees, which they surely would have missed hadn't it been for Werner.  
  
After a ten minutes walk, they were surprised to see a small wooden cottage, toward which Werner went eagerly. He stopped short however when the door flew opened just as he was about to grab the doorknob. When they got closer, Phoebe and Cole were stunned to recognize the man they had met near the factory.  
  
It was almost daybreak and they had been driving all night. Leo's worries grew worse for every mile that they put between themselves and their friends. He often looked back, hopeful that he would see a car speeding toward them and find out that it was Cole, safely returning. But as time went by, his hope diminished until, by the morning, he despaired ever to see Piper or Cole again. He was startled when Clay shifted down and turned onto a side road.  
  
"What are you doing," he asked, uttering his first words since they had left.  
  
"I need some rest, and as we had planned with Cole, we'll stay out of sight in the day, and drive at night until we're at the border."  
  
Clay seemed about to add something and Leo could see that he wasn't the only one crushed by the situation. He still didn't comment on their friends' failure to appear however, and Leo didn't have the heart to start this discussion again.  
  
The night before, as they were preparing to leave, Heinrich had come toward them and asked about the family he wanted them to save. Clay had only hesitated slightly before refusing to turn back for them. Heinrich had become obviously upset, but Clay told him that in the situation, the family in question possibly had better chances by remaining in hiding anyway. He still offered for Heinrich to come along, but this one declined angrily and started back toward the town on foot. Seeing that Leo seemed intent on following him, Clay grabbed him.  
  
"Don't be crazy, Leo. What are you supposed to be able to do that Cole couldn't?"  
  
"It doesn't mean that I shouldn't even try."  
  
"Leo, we need you here. Cole needs you to stick with us…"  
  
"Piper…"  
  
"Cole's gonna do everything he can for her…"  
  
Leo turned to him angrily:  
  
"Oh, and now you believe that?"  
  
Clay bit his lips apprehensively.  
  
"I have to, Leo. At any rate, I'm responsible for you as well as everyone in this group. I won't let you take that risk, even if I have to knock you out."  
  
Leo observed him uncertainly, wondering if he would make good on his threat. He finally decided that he just might, and dejectedly relented. By now, everyone but them had embarked in the trucks and they were ready to leave.  
  
"Let's go," Clay uttered after a moment, seeing that Leo had apparently become more reasonable. Leo followed him in silence and they had not exchanged another word since.  
  
"Maybe," Leo still began hesitantly… He couldn't bring himself to continue, afraid that saying it might jinx his friends' chances.  
  
Clay understood what he meant and, as he was parking the truck in a clearing, he simply nodded.  
  
Clay then climbed out of the truck without another word, and began rounding a few men to organize the watch. As Leo rejoined him, Clay strongly suggested that this one took some rest. Leo didn't think that he would sleep. Nevertheless, he still went into one of the trucks to lie down, as Clay suggested. As if his worries about Piper and Cole weren't enough, he had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something important, but couldn't put his finger on it. After a while and in spite of his worries, he fell into an agitated sleep…  
  
For a moment, at seeing Heinrich there, Cole had feared that none of their friends had managed to escape. However, Heinrich soon reassured them on the subject. He was still visibly upset about it, while Cole and the girls sighed in relief. At least, one part of the plan seemed to have worked. When they wondered how he'd gotten there so fast, Heinrich told them that he had hitched a ride up to the side road and walked the rest of the way. Cole couldn't help worrying about the safety of this place and he was becoming antsy. He'd figured that Werner was bringing them where the family was hidden, which would have made some sense considering the cottage's isolation. However, once inside, they couldn't find a trace of the family. Besides, even as they were making their way there, Cole had begun to have second thoughts about the whole family situation. By now, he had made up his mind to leave immediately.  
  
He turned to Werner impatiently.  
  
"We've got to go now… Our friends must already have a big head start on us."  
  
Werner countered:  
  
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be on the main road right now. If they're looking for the fugitives, and I'm sure they are, they'll stop every vehicle."  
  
"We should still try to go. The longer we stay here, the bigger the risk of us being found."  
  
"I assure you… no one will come here anytime soon. Even if someone had recognized me, this place doesn't belong to me, it's Heinrich's. Besides, you still have to wait a while. The car will not be large enough for everyone…"  
  
Cole looked around, still wondering about this family they wanted them to help. He hated the idea of breaking his promise, but knew that this was becoming riskier by the moment.  
  
"And about that, "Werner was continuing, "Heinrich here, is gonna take care of getting a more suitable vehicle. He has a truck in town and only needs to go get it…Don't you Heinrich?"  
  
Werner turned to Heinrich then, and without waiting for his answer, he gave him the keys to the car.  
  
Cole took a step forward:  
  
"Werner, you're not thinking of letting him go with the only vehicle we've got?"  
  
"I'll be back soon," Heinrich said somewhat irritably. Then, he tried to go out of the cottage, but Cole put himself between him and the door, startling everyone.  
  
"No! He's not going anywhere. This is getting way too complicated. This family that you want us to rescue's not even here. And even if they were, I can't take this risk, I'm sorry. The girls and I are gonna leave now. We'll take our chances on back roads, if necessary."  
  
"Captain," Phoebe exclaimed then, unhappy at his change of heart.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss Halliwell, but I've got to think of you two first. I hate to do this, but we've got a much better chance on our own." He said this as he was still watching Werner and Heinrich carefully, while he moved to pull his gun out of the holster. Before he could do this however, a female's voice startled him from behind. He tried to look back at the newcomer and Werner did not hesitate to use this distraction to come after him with the same agility Cole had witnessed in the camp. He never had time to react or even to see who the woman was, before Werner hit him hard in the jaw. Phoebe's scream of anguish was the last thing Cole heard before he lost consciousness…  
  
Cole was slowly coming to and he had a strangely familiar sensation as he felt a hand caressing his chest. He wasn't in any hurry to break the moment, but a throbbing pain in his jaw suddenly reminded him of the situation.  
  
"Phoebe?" He asked, even before he looked up. This had seemed the most natural thing in the world, even though he knew that they were not on a first name basis by far. Indeed, the hand moved away quickly, and as he opened his eyes, he realized that they were in a poorly lit room. What's more, as he became more aware of his environment, he guessed that this must be a cellar because under the blanket he was lying onto, the floor was made of dirt.  
  
"What's happening," he asked in a hoarse voice.  
  
"Hum, you've made things very complicated is what's happening…"  
  
There was obvious reproach in Phoebe's voice.  
  
"Look, Phoebe…"  
  
"Since when did I allow you to address me by my first name?"  
  
Cole grimaced, but still pursued:  
  
"If it makes you feel better, call me Cole…we'll be even…Now, why are we in this basement?"  
  
Phoebe sighed impatiently:  
  
"Werner thought that you might not be very cooperative..."  
  
"Jeez, I wonder why…"  
  
Phoebe pouted at this, very unhappy with his attitude apparently. He felt the need to defend his actions:  
  
"Look, we're not in any position to be helping anybody, Phoebe." She gave him another irritated glance, but he ignored it.  
  
"We've been separated from the others and we're no closer to get out of this country. My first concern is for you and your cousin…"  
  
"And I'm telling you that I wanna help these people…Cole," Phoebe added almost in a whisper. Although, what she was telling him didn't please him in the least, her saying his name gave him a warm feeling. He searched for her eyes, but she was looking away. He let out a little sigh, and then questioned her further about the situation at hand:  
  
"How long have I been out and where are the others?"  
  
Still not looking at him, she answered:  
  
"You've been unconscious for about four hours. Heinrich had time to go in town and back with the truck. Right now, Werner and he have gone to help the kids pack their things. They were staying deeper in the forest…"  
  
"Kids?"  
  
"Well, Werner wasn't exactly precise about the family thing. They're four children. One big sister of seventeen and three younger kids, one of them six months old…"  
  
"What? Oh this is getting better and better… Phoebe, we can't try escaping with babies. We've gotta get out of here. Where's your cousin by the way?"  
  
Phoebe didn't answer immediately and he felt that she was uncomfortable.  
  
"Phoebe?"  
  
"She's upstairs, keeping watch in case I need something…"  
  
"Well then, just call her and tell her to open this door."  
  
"No…"  
  
"Phoebe, you've got to listen to me. I can't save all of you. We barely have a chance as it is…"  
  
He stopped for a beat. Then, he added:  
  
"I don't want anything to happen to you…"  
  
Phoebe caught the change in his voice and she couldn't help glancing back for a second. She had been so afraid herself. After Werner had knocked him out, she had become angry with the big man, but he quickly made her see that this was the only way. He even told her that he understood the captain's point of view, but he still couldn't let those kids rot in the forest until god knew when. The war seemed to be going on forever, and them being Jewish, there wasn't any salvation in sight unless they left this country. Cole tried again to get through to her:  
  
"Phoebe, please tell Piper to open the door."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Alright," he said, while getting up, "then I'll tell her myself…"  
  
"She won't do it."  
  
He was almost at the bottom of the steps when she spoke and he turned to her irritably:  
  
"And why is that? Aren't we on the same side? Did they threaten her?"  
  
"I told her not to listen to you."  
  
"You did what," Cole exclaimed, while coming back angrily toward her.  
  
"Don't you see how crazy this is?"  
  
This time, Phoebe stood up and faced him squarely:  
  
"We're gonna help this family, whether you like it or not."  
  
"And how much more time are we supposed to lose on this?"  
  
"Werner suggested that we departed in the early evening."  
  
"You mean we've got to wait here all day?"  
  
Phoebe didn't answer and they simply stared at each other for a long moment.  
  
Then Cole, seeing that she wouldn't change her mind, suddenly asked, slightly calmer:  
  
"How come you're here? Why didn't you stay up with your cousin?"  
  
Phoebe kept silent and walked away at this.  
  
"Phoebe?"  
  
She bit her lips before finally answering:  
  
"You were unconscious and I couldn't leave you alone. It was my duty as a nurse to make sure you were ok…"  
  
Cole knew that she was leaving something out. He walked closer and said:  
  
"So… earlier, you were just checking my heart beat, I suppose…"  
  
Phoebe jumped slightly both at having been found out and his proximity. She had believed that he had not noticed.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, but almost in a whisper.  
  
"Then, I guess you'll be leaving me now?"  
  
"And then, you'd try to get out." She answered louder.  
  
"Is that the only reason why you're still here," he questioned, as he moved close enough to touch her back.  
  
Phoebe breathed deeply before answering, trying to steady her voice.  
  
"Why else?"  
  
"Well," he said suggestively, "we might talk about it, since we've got lots of time apparently. Or maybe, I could simply show you." Even as he was telling her this, he leaned toward her neck and could feel her trembling slightly. For a second, he wondered if she feared him and almost stepped back. Yet, she didn't move away, and instead, as his lips touched her skin, her breath quickened noticeably. Encouraged by this, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. The sensation was almost electrifying. In that instant, he forgot all about the war and all the troubles to come. All he wanted was to hold her against him, to kiss her and make love to her right then. Yet, as he tried to twist her around toward him, she pulled away.  
  
"No, I can't let you do this to me…"  
  
Her voice was shaky and he knew that she wanted it just as much as he did. This didn't help at all convincing him that her refusal was sincere.  
  
"Are you so sure Phoebe," he asked, as he came closer again.  
  
Phoebe couldn't even bring herself to look at him, for fear that he would see how uncertain she truly was.  
  
"You…you'd seduce me and move on to the next pretty girl you'd see. I don't need someone like you in my life."  
  
He felt it like a slap in the face, knowing full well why she'd said it. Yet, even if that had truly been like this for him before, he knew it wasn't anymore. How could I convince her of that," he thought forlornly.  
  
"Phoebe, I…"  
  
He stopped, unsure if anything he had to say would change her mind. Still, he had to try:  
  
"Phoebe, I know what you think of me, and arguably, you might have been right about that in the past…"  
  
"The past," Phoebe questioned dubiously, while finally looking up.  
  
"Yes…the past. I…I want you to know that I never felt like this for anyone else. And as you so pointed out, I did know a lot of women…"  
  
Phoebe shrugged irritably.  
  
"Is that supposed to help me trust you?"  
  
"Phoebe, I was just trying to be truthful here. Isn't that what you wanted from me?"  
  
"I'm supposed to believe that you've fallen for me? Even after I saw you flirting with that girl?"  
  
He took a step forward before replying:  
  
"Phoebe that was just a moment of weakness…I was afraid."  
  
"Afraid?" Phoebe exclaimed angrily. "Afraid of what?"  
  
He looked down for a moment, wondering if he should really tell her all of this. Yet, he felt that if he held back, she'd never believe in his sincerity.  
  
"I was afraid of how I felt about you. Of what it meant…"  
  
"What was that exactly?" Phoebe asked in a softer voice.  
  
He looked back at this:  
  
"I never believed in love, Phoebe. I thought that it was just something you read about… I saw relationships rather as a burden, a prison of sort. I never imagined that I'd wish to share my life with one person…Until I met you…"he added softly.  
  
Phoebe couldn't help staring back in surprise at his last words. She wanted so much for it to be true…  
  
"I don't know," she still said. "I…I heard it all before, from someone who had not even betrayed me first…"  
  
"But he did afterward…didn't he?" Cole understood then the depth of his mistake with her. Particularly, when he saw the sudden sadness in her expression…  
  
He sighed deeply while closing his eyes. He realized that his chances might have become null that very night, just like he had believed then. An infinite remorse and sadness was already invading him, as he uttered:  
  
"I'm sorry…"  
  
Then, he felt her fingers coming to rest lightly on his lips and opened his eyes to see her looking up at him.  
  
"I'm afraid too, you know? I'm afraid of what it'd do to me if you left me after I gave myself to you. I want to, but…"  
  
"Phoebe, I wouldn't leave you," he said with a renewed hope.  
  
"How can I be sure of that?"  
  
He took her hand and kissed her palm before answering:  
  
"I don't know what the future holds Phoebe. I can't tell you if there's gonna be a tomorrow for us…But if we get out of this mess, I promise you that I'll stay by your side for as long as you want me. I couldn't leave you…I…I love you," he finally said, even surprising himself. She watched him curiously for a long moment, obviously uncertain of how sincere he was. He felt like his entire life rested in her hands at that moment. The most amazing to him was that he wasn't afraid of losing himself anymore; just of losing her.  
  
Finally, he couldn't take her silence anymore:  
  
"Phoebe?"  
  
Instead of answering, she lifted her face toward his and kissed him passionately. At first, he barely reacted, so astonished he was. Then, as her lips parted, inviting him, he forgot all about the doubts, holding her tight against him. The electrifying sensation returned even stronger, as their kiss deepened and became more intimate. For all the women he had known in his life, he had never felt such a need to give himself to one. It was a new and utterly rewarding sensation. More than pleasure, this felt like ecstasy. As their passion flared, they undressed each other shamelessly, impatient to be with each other as they were. Slowly they made their way toward the blanket, never stopping their caresses and kisses. He laid her down on the blanket then, leaving her lips to kiss her neck then slowly making his way toward her stomach, revelling in the shivers he felt coursing through her as he tasted the soft skin of her breasts. He wanted her so much that the wait was almost painful, yet he wanted to prolong this moment for as long as he could. Finally, she arched herself against him, practically begging for release and he didn't resist anymore. She had to bite back a scream of delight when he moved inside her. Then as his mouth covered hers hungrily, they both felt the explosion of pleasure at the same time, as their body moved in a rhythm as old as the world, yet as new to them as if it was the very first time. For a long moment afterward, they held on to each other, while their hoarse breaths mingled through lighter kisses. Cole finally lied on his side, but still pulled her toward him possessively. Phoebe had never felt more complete and content than in that moment, when her head rested on his chest, just listening to his heart beat. It was such a perfect moment that she didn't even want to shatter it with words. He seemed to agree as neither one talked for a very long time.  
  
At last, it was a discreet knock on the door that reminded them of the world outside. For the first time since they had first kissed, Phoebe suddenly felt self conscious as she heard Piper calling to her:  
  
"Phoebe, is everything ok?"  
  
Phoebe tried to answer, but her first try came out hoarsely and fortunately too low for Piper to hear. She cleared her throat while pulling the blanket over herself then:  
  
"Everything is fine Piper. Give me a moment?"  
  
"All right," was the hesitant answer from her cousin.  
  
When Phoebe looked up at Cole, this one was smiling, apparently amused.  
  
"Hey, it's not funny…"  
  
But even as she said it, she couldn't help smiling as well. However, she soon became serious again.  
  
"Cole…" she took a moment longer before pursuing.  
  
"I need to know if you've changed your mind about the kids…"  
  
His smile faded then, and he sighed heavily.  
  
"I'd lie if I told you that I agree with this, but if it's that important to you…"  
  
"Yes it is. I couldn't stand the idea of us abandoning those kids. We don't even know what happened to the other prisoners, and then, there was Robert," she added, still choking at the thought of the poor medic. "I don't want to leave anymore people behind. And besides you promised, didn't you?"  
  
"You're right, of course," he answered then, albeit reluctantly.  
  
"So, can you promise me now that you won't try to leave without them?"  
  
"On one condition…"  
  
Phoebe stared at him somewhat suspiciously.  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"I want to revisit our time of departure. If we start before noon, we'll have a good chance to catch up with Leo and the others. Then, we can go on with the plan. Otherwise, we might have to wait a long time to go across the border, or try our luck through the mountains. With those kids, I don't think that it'd be a good idea."  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you about this. Are you so certain that you can pull it off?"  
  
"I'm pretty confident yes. All we need is to find an airfield close to the border and well, make our own luck."  
  
"We'll have a talk with Werner then," she said, as she moved up toward his face and kissed him lightly on the lips. She then whispered:  
  
"I love you…" She hesitated. Then she added:  
  
"Please, don't disappoint me. I don't know what I'd do…"  
  
"I won't," he said firmly, as he took her lips again. "But for now," he said as he reluctantly let her go, "we've got to take care of business, so to speak."  
  
She nodded yes weakly, then went to pick up her clothes and dressed hurriedly, just as Cole did. Before she went to the door, he gathered her in his arms one more time.  
  
"I love you, Phoebe. I'll never stop, no matter what." Phoebe felt an intense relief as they exchange a long and languorous kiss, interrupted by the nervous voice of her cousin:  
  
"Phoebe, are you sure that everything is fine?"  
  
"More than fine," she uttered while gazing at him. Then she resolutely turned toward the steps.  
  
"We're coming out Piper."  
  
Piper opened the door, but still watched Cole with a hint of reluctance:  
  
"Wait, are you sure about him?"  
  
Phoebe looked back at Cole for reassurance and he said:  
  
"I agreed to take the children. But we need to talk to Werner now!"  
  
The big man in question pushed Piper aside delicately, surprising her as well apparently.  
  
"Well, it seems I've come back just in time…"  
  
Seeing him suddenly reminded Cole of the pain in his jaw. Weirdly enough, until that moment, it had not seemed so bad.  
  
"Depends for what," Cole asked with a hint of suspicion.  
  
"If you're finally being more reasonable, then we'll get along just fine."  
  
"It'll all depend on if you're also being more reasonable," Cole replied while ostensibly massaging his jaw.  
  
Werner seemed to think about it for a moment, then the jovial smile returned to his lips:  
  
"I'm opened for a reasonable negotiation."  
  
"Good," Cole simply answered, as he moved toward the door behind Phoebe.  
  
Werner let them by and watched them with a renewed interest. As they were taking seats around a small wooden table, he approached them and turned toward Cole with an obvious twinkle in the eyes.  
  
"I see that you and the lady had a "talk"…"  
  
Phoebe had to look away to hide the blushing she felt coming, as she wondered how he could've known. Cole simply smiled back without a word and Werner didn't comment on this anymore. Instead, he went on with the matter at hand.  
  
"Ok then, what is it that you wanted to discuss?"  
  
Cole couldn't answer right away, as a commotion coming from the door interrupted him. Heinrich entered, carrying a very young child, soon followed by two more pre teens and the young girl they'd heard about. The girl in question watched them warily before entering the house. She remembered what Werner had done to the tall man.  
  
Heinrich, seeing that she was hesitating, motioned her inside insistently.  
  
The girl had delicate features, crowned by thick dark hair that gave her an altogether very distinctive look. Phoebe reflected that this girl would have difficulties staying unnoticed; as it was well illustrated by the way Heinrich was looking at her. In the same vein, she wondered if that was what gave Cole and her away to Werner, and the thought was rather pleasant, if also slightly embarrassing. As she turned back toward Cole with a smile, it soon faded when she saw him staring at the door. For an instant, she feared that he had noticed the young girl and again played her for a fool. However, when she looked back toward the doorway, she saw that he was rather staring at the baby. Heinrich was now holding him facing them, and she felt something akin to a shock at his appearance. Somehow, and for no reason that she could fathom, the child seemed oddly familiar. Much more than this, she felt attracted to him instantly. She wondered if Cole had felt the same thing, although the why was still a mystery to her. She couldn't resist standing up and going toward him. Heinrich gave her a curious glance as she couldn't take her eyes off of the baby.  
  
"What is it?" he finally asked.  
  
"I don't know…Can I hold him," she asked without looking up.  
  
Heinrich turned toward the young girl and obviously asked her for permission in German, because the girl nodded with a little smile, and then Heinrich handed the baby to Phoebe. The moment she had him in her arms, she felt even more complete, as if he had been the only missing piece somehow. The strange sensation never left her, even throughout the discussion that followed.  
  
It took some convincing, but in the end Werner agreed to help them slip through the patrols by indicating some back roads less likely to be watched. He still feared that they might get caught, but Cole's arguments about their original plan weighed in the balance. When they had agreed upon this, Cole finally got to question Werner about his own situation:  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you a few things, Werner…"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like, what's gonna become of you when we're gone? I mean, those guards might be able to describe you, and that soldier you saved us from? Hans?"  
  
"My brother?" Werner questioned, lifting an eyebrow in which seemed a dubious gesture. "You don't think that my own brother would denounce me, do you? I mean, I don't approve of his ideas but…"  
  
"Your brother?!!!"  
  
"Yeah…" Werner answered casually.  
  
"So, what? You just asked him to let us go and he did?"  
  
"Well, not exactly… you see, my brother thinks that I'm some kind of simpleton. He's not all that smart himself, I'll say. Because of my differences, many people in my family lend little credit to my intelligence. I let them say, because really I don't care much about what they think."  
  
"Huh, Werner? That doesn't answer my question."  
  
"Oh right, well I told him that you were trying to steal this lovely girl from me, and that I intended to teach you a lesson…"  
  
"Boy, am I glad that you're on my side," Cole uttered, again massaging his jaw… "Still," he pursued, "that doesn't guaranty your safety…"  
  
"Oh really, there won't be any problems. I'll just tell them that you made me do it and Hans won't contradict me. He may be a brute, but he's a good brother nevertheless…"  
  
"If you're sure?"  
  
"Really, don't worry about me. Just take care of Heinrich and the kids for me."  
  
"I promise I will…"  
  
Werner also added in a lower voice:  
  
"And take care of this girl of yours. You make a lovely couple."  
  
Cole smiled with some embarrassment this time, and then they shook hands on this. Soon, all but Werner had left the cottage. It was decided that Heinrich would drive for the first part of the way, while they stayed in the back, hiding behind crates filled with live stock. These he had smartly put in to hide his passengers. The smell was rather overpowering, but on the bright side, they knew that it might very well discourage a patrol from looking too closely. As the truck started, the passengers still stared at each other apprehensively, wondering if they weren't going to fall back into the hands of the enemy… 


	11. The Wings of Love (Chapter XI)

The Wings of Love  
  
Chapter XI  
  
*******************  
  
Until now, they had been very lucky. As Cole had surmised, the back roads were not watched as carefully, probably because there weren't enough soldiers to organize such a wide net. However, when they tried to get back to the main road, almost an hour out of town, they soon were faced with a roadblock. Cole, Phoebe and the others lied down on the floor of the truck. Phoebe held the baby against her, while trying her best to keep him quiet. They could hear a conversation between Heinrich and who they assumed was a soldier. Their tone of voice was harsh, but as they knew, the German language was naturally very edgy. Again, Cole regretted that he couldn't understand a word of it. The young girl was of no help to him because she herself didn't speak a word of English. As soon as the conversation ended, he heard heavy footsteps on his side of the truck coming toward the back. He tightened his grip on his gun and waited, holding his breath. The panel was pulled down noisily, and the back of the truck illuminated brightly by a powerful flashlight. They saw the beam of light moving around, tensely expecting the soldier to climb into the truck and to find them. However, this one seemed satisfied by what he saw, because soon, the beam of light receded and the panel was put back in place. Cole was already sighing in relief, but a scream from the baby startled him. Outside the truck, he heard a clamour, and someone coming back hurriedly. Then, as he was again preparing to defend them, Heinrich's voice came from the back this time.  
  
Another animated discussion seemed to take place, and then miraculously, the soldier left. Cole cast a look at the young girl, still hoping that she could tell them what this was about, and was surprised to see a somewhat amused smile on her lips. He wondered about it, and decided that he would ask Heinrich what was said later. It wasn't until they had started on their way that Cole let his guard down, however.  
  
Through a slit in the rear, he saw the soldiers putting back the barbed wire fence, as they sped away. He still waited until they were out of the soldiers' sight to turn toward the others and signal that they were safe.  
  
These slowly sat up, still very tensed and frightened. Phoebe was holding the baby tightly, having feared more for him than herself. Ever since they had left the cottage, her affection for the little boy had only grown. She still didn't understand what it was about him, but in the end, she concluded that maybe he represented what she truly wanted in life: a family…She looked up at Cole with relief, even as he was reinserting the gun in its holster. He gave her a reassuring smile, and then he came to sit by her side, whilst she let herself dream that she now had a real chance to have this family. The only thing that had so far prevented her from openly showing her affection for him was the fact that Piper and she hadn't had the opportunity to talk yet. Phoebe still believed that her love for him must be written all over her face by now, as she glanced at her cousin. However, this one seemingly remained oblivious to them. She apprehended her cousin's reaction, considering her harsh words about men, but she couldn't help wanting him close to her in these dire circumstances. At any rate, she was certain that hadn't it been for how worried Piper was about Leo, she would have guessed already, no matter how discreet Phoebe might have tried to be. As she looked back toward Cole, she noticed that he was staring at the baby curiously.  
  
"What is it about him?" He questioned without expecting an answer.  
  
"What do you mean," Phoebe asked, curious herself as to what the baby did to him.  
  
"I don't know… it's strange. It's as if I knew him before. Even as if having him here with us was the most natural thing in the world. Strange, isn't it?"  
  
He was smiling at her almost timidly, and she responded with a soft smile of her own.  
  
"I didn't think you were the fatherly kind…"  
  
"Trust me," he replied in a whisper, "until recently, I'd never seen myself as such. Although, looking at this little one…" He trailed while glancing back at the baby.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I don't know. It doesn't seem half as scary as I imagined."  
  
Phoebe' smile brightened, but she didn't comment, as she simply leaned against him. She wondered again what her cousin would say if she saw them, but at this point, it didn't seem to matter so much. She managed to forget where they were and what they were faced with, as the rolling of the truck slowly lulled her into sleep. Cole delicately took the baby from her and watched her sleeping with such a feeling of peace as he rarely had in his life. After a moment, he sensed that someone was observing him and indeed, as he looked up, he met Piper's curious stare. This one was frowning, but then she simply dismissed whatever comment she might have wanted to make and she smiled softly.  
  
For a moment, as Piper guessed that her cousin had apparently found happiness, she'd felt better, even though she was really surprised as to whom she found it with. But now, as she looked away again, her worries returned all at once. Where was Leo? Was he alright? She couldn't help but wishing that she too could lean against the man she loved and take comfort in his presence. Although, at first she had resented him for going without her, she understood that he didn't have a choice. If he was half as worried as she was, he must be out of his mind, she reflected, while biting back an urge to cry. She prayed that they would find him soon, as Cole told them they would. However, she knew that the Captain had been optimistic for their sakes. There was a strong possibility that they might not get to their friends on time. This thought did nothing to alleviate her worries…  
  
Leo had only slept two hours and spent the rest of the day watching the comings and goings on the main road. After a while, Clay had come to join him without a word, settling to watch as well. Neither one needed to tell the other what they were waiting for, and very little was said between them that day. At last, the sun came down on the horizon and Clay got up with a deep sigh. He was just as disappointed as Leo, but he knew his duty.  
  
"Leo, we've gotta go now. We should be closing in on the border sometimes before the morning. Then, all we'll have to do is find an airfield and an appropriate plane…"  
  
Leo let him say his piece without taking his eyes off the road. He'd heard every word of course, but couldn't help wanting to give his friends every possible chances. Clay noticed Leo' stubborn stance and added:  
  
"You know, it could take a while before we found the proper aircraft… We might even have to spend another day or two there…"  
  
This time, he got Leo's attention. This one turned to Clay with a weak smile, and finally got up from his observing post. Only then did he realize how long it had been, as all the muscles in his body hurt. He grimaced at the uncomfortable sensation, but soon followed Clay back toward the trucks. That nurse, Paige, Leo thought he remembered, was coming toward them carrying a plate of food. She offered it to Clay with a seductive smile, although this one seemed oblivious at the moment. This didn't discourage the nurse, as she asked:  
  
"Hey, would you mind very much if I rode in front with you, Captain? I get queasy in the back with the rolling…"  
  
Clay appeared to only now notice her and the beginning of a smile spread his lips.  
  
"Leo, do you mind," he asked distractedly, while still staring at the nurse.  
  
"That's ok… If she feels that bad, I don't see why she couldn't take my place."  
  
Besides, Leo reflected that it would be easier to watch their rear this way…  
  
"Then, it's decided," Clay said, while Paige's smile brightened.  
  
He took the plate from her and they went on toward the rest of the group.  
  
As soon as it was dark enough, they went on their way. At first, Clay only listened to Paige's incessant chatter. However, Paige's exuberance soon got to him and they began making real conversation. At first it was more small talk than anything else, and Clay was truly grateful for the distraction. However after a while, Paige asked about Phoebe and things became a little tense.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I saw the way you looked at her… but mind you, I also saw the way she looked at Captain Turner…"  
  
Clay gave her a quick glance before answering:  
  
"Do I have to remind you about the way he behaved? I thought that it should've told you all there was to know about this playboy…"  
  
"I don't know," Paige replied, almost offhandedly, "people change sometimes when they fall in love…"  
  
"Not him," Clay retorted firmly. "He's incorrigible. I've seen him operate. I'll never believe that he can be sincere. He'll only disappoint her if she gives her trust to him."  
  
"Unlike with you…"  
  
Clay detected a hint of reproach in her voice, but he didn't comment.  
  
Paige went on:  
  
"Anyway, I still think that you might need a friend soon, and I wouldn't mind being that…"  
  
"Trust me on this. If they manage to catch up with us, I'll make her forget he ever existed…"  
  
Then, as he looked again and saw the girl's upset expression:  
  
"This doesn't mean that we can't be friend…It's just that…"  
  
"I understand," Paige said then, looking away.  
  
In her mind, Paige wondered about the stubbornness of men. She was certain that in spite of his obvious affection for Phoebe, his true motivation was mostly a form of pride. Maybe there was some kind of competition between the two captains, she reflected. "Too bad," she thought again, "that he can't see it for what it is, or for that matter, what he's got right here…" she added dejectedly for herself. The rest of the night, they drove in almost complete silence, absorbed in their own private thoughts.  
  
As they were closing in on their objective, Clay became noticeably more nervous. They met an increasing number of military vehicles, while some of the drivers in those were looking at their small convoy curiously. Fortunately, they didn't bother to stop them, to Clay and the others' relief. However, just an hour before dawn, Clay spotted an obvious roadblock in the distance. Sweat immediately pearled on his forehead as he pulled over, while watching the truck behind him doing the same in his mirror. He hoped that the Germans would not pay too much attention to them considering the distance. Then, he turned toward the small window that allowed communications between the cabin and the rear.  
  
"Leo," he called, but then, he remembered that the doctor had embarked in the last truck. He had no trouble guessing why, but right now, he needed to regroup. Before Heinrich had left them, Clay had managed to learn a few phrases from him for such a contingency. Yet, he wasn't confident enough about his accent. The responsibility of all these people weighed heavily on him. After giving another look at the roadblock, he motioned for Paige to stay put, while he went out of the truck.  
  
As he did so, he saw that Leo and a few other men were also getting out, albeit warily. All of them were carrying guns they had found in the trucks and taken care of loading with the German ammo. However, Clay signalled them to stand down. Then, he turned to Leo.  
  
"Leo, we've got a problem…"  
  
"What kind of problem," Leo asked nervously, even though his mind was only half on the present situation.  
  
"We've got to go through this roadblock. I haven't seen a side road in miles… On the other hand, I noticed a few planes coming from this direction. There might be an airfield close by…"  
  
Leo didn't need him to tell why he worried. Not a one of them spoke German adequately. They didn't have any papers, at any rate. No id besides an obvious manifest of the cargo they found in one of the trucks. They had surmised that it must have been an older paper, which might give them away. This was of no help to them. Clay eyed the men closely, weighing their chances in a fight. By now, he realized that this would be the only way through, but he couldn't be certain that they had what it took. He regretted Cole's absence.  
  
Leo noticed his stare and guessed at his intentions, swallowing hard at the thought.  
  
"Clay?"  
  
Clay looked back at him with a worried expression.  
  
"We'll have to shoot our way through…"  
  
Even if Leo had known what he was about to say, it still jolted him. Their experience in the town had been somewhat successful, but he couldn't help remembering bitterly the loss they had suffered as well. Leo pulled Clay aside:  
  
"I don't think they can do this, Clay. None of them has been trained for this sort of things…"  
  
"Nevertheless, they know how to use guns, and frankly, we don't have much of a choice. What's more, we can't leave anybody behind to signal our passage," he added sombrely. Considering the late hour, there were no more than two or three vehicles in line for inspection at the roadblock, and for Clay, it was a mild consolation. He hoped that with luck, they wouldn't have to hurt any civilians.  
  
"You can't be serious," Leo was protesting, as Clay was thinking about this.  
  
Clay stared at him very seriously:  
  
"Leo, it's them or us… If there are any of them left to give the alarm, we might as well surrender now. We'll never make it to the airfield, let alone managed to get to a plane. We need the element of surprise to succeed…"  
  
Leo gave a long look at the roadblock. Even the thought of what Clay suggested gave him nausea. The only thing that prevented him for protesting any further however, was the thought of what might have happened to Piper and Cole. This consideration allowed him to swallow his queasiness, and he finally acquiesced weakly. Clay looked gravely at each of the other men. Then, he told them what he expected of them. They seemed just as shocked as Leo had been, but didn't protest out loud. Then, they proceeded to implement Clay's hasty plan.  
  
As night came, Cole took the driver's seat, while Heinrich went to get some rest, for which he was obviously grateful. Cole surmised that he must have been just as tense as they had been throughout this day. Still, before he let him go, Cole questioned him about the conversation Heinrich had with the soldier, earlier. This one obliged.  
  
"Oh, I told him that I had this dog in the back, a very vicious one, made even worse because she just had puppies. When he said that he still wanted to check it out, I hinted that I wouldn't go there myself. He asked me why I didn't shoot the dog if it was that vicious, and I told him that the dog wasn't mine, but my six and a half feet brother's, who'd surely kill me if I hurt his dog. We got lucky that the man was afraid of dogs, because he accepted my explanation and turned around."  
  
"You mean you compared the baby's cries to a dog whining?" Cole asked, while feeling vaguely insulted. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but having the kid compared to a dog didn't sit well with him…His feelings toward the infant were actually so conflicted that they troubled him more for every moment.  
  
"Oh come on, it worked, didn't it?" Heinrich added with an amused smile. Then, he left without waiting for an answer, while Cole finally climbed into the cabin. There, he was surprised to find Phoebe, whom he had thought was still asleep. She had obviously awakened when he left and used the delay to come around the other side.  
  
"Phoebe, you shouldn't be here."  
  
"I'm tired of riding back there. Besides," she added with a sweet smile, "I feel very safe with you."  
  
This was so disarming that Cole couldn't bring himself to argue any further with her presence. In truth, he was grateful for it, even though he still thought that she would be safer in hiding. As she bent toward him and kissed his cheek lightly to silence any possible protestation on his part, he had to suppress a smile.  
  
"Alright," he grumbled then, falsely reproachful.  
  
Instinctively knowing what was behind this, Phoebe smiled anew as they started down the road. The truth of the matter, for Phoebe, was that she had two reasons to be there. If she had been sincere in saying that she felt safer in Cole's presence, she also had lingering apprehensions about Piper, and the talk that would surely have to come sooner or later. Phoebe wasn't one to change her mind that easily. At least not usually, and Piper knew this very well. Phoebe believed that her cousin would have some questions about that, but also about why she had the outburst in the first place. She didn't relish having to tell her the why. She had even considered keeping this from her altogether, but Piper was a relentlessly curious person. Therefore, coming in the front now had delayed the inevitable for her. It didn't keep her from worrying about the baby, however. When she had left him, he was calmly asleep in his sister's arms and that should have been enough for Phoebe, but it wasn't. She kept looking back, and at last, Cole noticed.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Phoebe answered distractedly:  
  
"I was just wondering how Ja…" she stopped short, totally dumbfounded.  
  
For a second, she had felt that not only she knew him, but that Jason was his name for certain…  
  
"What were you about to say," Cole questioned, suddenly interested.  
  
"That was stupid…I…For a moment there, I gave the boy a name…"  
  
"Jason?"  
  
Phoebe turned to her with obvious surprise.  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
"Well, you said Ja…"  
  
"It could've been Jacob…"  
  
Cole gave her a quick look before answering.  
  
"Huh, well, for the last hour or so, that name's been floating in my mind. I've got no idea why…"  
  
When he gave Phoebe another glance, he read the same puzzlement in her eyes.  
  
"Must just have been a coincidence," he finally dismissed it, even if unconvincingly.  
  
"Must've…" Phoebe replied with the same lack of conviction.  
  
They watched the road in silence afterward, seriously wondering about all those strange happenstances.  
  
Phoebe woke up with a start, only then realizing that she had dozed off. It was still dark out there, but she could see a faint light on the horizon, telling her that she had slept many hours. She turned toward Cole, but this one didn't seem to have noticed she was awake. Before she could say a word, she caught sight of a pair of trucks a few hundred feet ahead. A surge of hope came to her at this.  
  
She was about to tell Cole, but he beat her to it:  
  
"I think we found them," he exclaimed, almost in disbelief. No matter what he had said to their little group, he had seriously doubted their chances. Yet, here were those two trucks that looked to be exactly what they were searching for. As they sped toward them, he couldn't see ahead of the trucks. When these seemed to slow down, he lowered the window and peeked beyond them. Then, he started and pulled his head back quickly. His reaction was noticeable enough to alarm Phoebe:  
  
"What is it?" She asked anxiously.  
  
"Roadblock," he answered curtly. Phoebe didn't need more.  
  
Cole was worried about it, but he felt that he had to get closer to the trucks, as he depressed the gas pedal, hurrying to reach them. As they grew closer, he tried to distinguish the licence plate of the last one, as he vaguely remembered one of them from the last time he saw it. The numbers told him nothing however, and he figured that either these trucks were not the ones they were looking for, or the one he was familiar with was in the front. He had almost decided on the former when he noticed the barrel of a gun coming out of the opening in the tarpaulin. If not unusual per say, it was still enough to arouse his curiosity, considering the circumstances. He slowed his approach significantly and turned toward Phoebe then:  
  
"Get down on the floor," Cole said imperatively. His voice was so tense that this time, she didn't protest. She still worried about the baby and the others though, but Cole seemed to have thought of that too. He knocked on the back of the cabin several times, hoping that his passengers would get the message. Only then, did he move closer to the truck in front of them. Even as he did so, he saw the opening widen and another gun barrel coming into view, soon followed by what he thought was a familiar face. Their headlights were now illuminating the back fully and another face came into view that brought a smile on Cole's lips. Leo was watching their approach, but he held a gun at them as well. Cole suddenly reflected that they might be wary of someone moving so close to them at this point. Not wanting to attract the soldiers' attention too much, he still quickly flashed his high beams, trying to signal his people. He saw Leo hesitate and peer closely at them, so Cole put his head out the window once more. Leo obviously squinted to see who Cole was, then a bright smile formed on his lips, telling Cole that he had been recognized. However, Leo's smile was short lived, and then he suddenly moved back inside the truck. That was when they heard the other truck moving, as they had been almost at a stand still for the last few seconds. Clay came into view at this point and he imperatively signalled for Cole to move back, while more guns began to appear beside him. It didn't take much more for Cole to understand what his co-pilot had planned, and his stomach turned at the idea.  
  
The first truck had slowed down at the roadblock, and then it had sped ahead as fast as possible for such a vehicle. They heard gun shots, but then the second truck sped in turn and took a beeline for the soldiers who were after the first one. The first few soldiers fell under the truck, and then Cole's people began shooting in turn, even as the truck stopped near the remaining soldiers.  
  
He soon realized that the first truck had halted just beyond the road block and that they were shooting at the soldiers as well. He didn't hesitate to pull his own revolver and shot out of the car, running toward the truck, where he took cover and began firing with the others. Phoebe saw his move only seconds after the shooting started and her heart sunk. She was almost tempted to go after him, but immediately saw the stupidity of the gesture. She had no weapon to use. On the other hand, she was worried anew about the baby and she got out on the other side, keeping her head low, as some stray bullets flew their way. Indeed, as she went, she heard one of them smashing the windshield with a start. She only stopped for a second, and then she ran all the way to the back. Inside, the baby and the younger children were now screaming of fright. Phoebe nervously signalled them to get down, as she moved inside. Only then did she realize the horror of what had happened. While she was approaching the young girl, she noticed a spreading dark stain on her chest. The girl kept her eyes wide opened, and it didn't take long for Phoebe to understand that there was little she could do for her. Heinrich was watching Phoebe himself and when he saw her horrified expression, he followed her gaze.  
  
"Nein!" was his agonizing scream, when he realized the awful truth. He rushed by the young girl's side almost at the same time as Phoebe. This one picked up the baby and laid it down on the floor of the truck carefully, as she was intent on returning toward the Jewish girl. However Piper, who also became aware of the unfolding drama, went to check up on the girl herself. Heinrich watched her with infinite pain and a hint of hope, but Piper had to shake her head sadly, even as she closed the poor girl's eyelids. Outside, the gunfire was abating considerably, telling them that whatever the outcome would be, it was now almost a done deal. While Heinrich rocked the girl in his arms with big tears of sorrow rolling down his cheeks, Phoebe picked up the baby again, holding him tight against her. Then, through the other two kids' cries, whom Piper was trying to calm as much as she could, they waited anxiously to see who would be coming for them…  
  
Instead, what they heard, as the shooting stopped, was someone opening and closing the truck's door. Then, almost immediately, the vehicle was put in gear and they sped away. It didn't do anything to reassure the passengers, as they had no idea who was actually driving. Since there was no way for them to know, signalling him was out of the question. All they could do was to wait and hope that whoever drove the truck was on their side. Throughout this, Heinrich seemed oblivious, lost in his sorrow, as he held the young girl against his chest. Phoebe guiltily reflected that she had not even known her name. On another level, she also wondered about the others out there, who had just fought a battle, of which they still didn't know the outcome. With the sounds coming from the unnerved live stock, along with the engine of their own vehicle, they had no way to verify if the other trucks were ahead of them. The wait was nerve racking, as the ride lasted almost ten minutes. Suddenly, the truck halted and the driver hurried out of the cabin. It didn't take long for the passengers to realize that he was coming for them. The panel that Phoebe had jumped over to get in was lowered at this moment, and only then did they see Cole coming in. Their relief was however darkened by the awful news they had to give.  
  
Cole went directly to Phoebe, ignoring the others at first, as he kissed her in with an intense relief of his own. First, he noticed her reticence with some wonderment. Then, as he pulled back, he saw her eyes bright with tears. His first move was to look down at the baby, worried that he might have been hurt, but this one seemed fine and awake. As he gazed back at Phoebe questioningly, she silently looked toward Heinrich and his sad burden. Cole almost gasped, as he realized what had happened. Ever since this fight had started, his anger had been growing. Anger against the circumstances first, but also against Clay, for what he considered a rash decision. Seeing the girl in Heinrich's arms was the last drop. Phoebe watched him worriedly, knowing that he was very upset from his tense expression. Without a word of explanation, he rushed out of the truck and, throwing all caution to the wind, this time she followed him out.  
  
There, in the morning light, she saw that indeed the two other trucks had preceded them and escaped as well. However, the loud voice of her lover was what got her full attention.  
  
"You insane bastard!" Cole was screaming now. "How could you rush into something like this? Now this poor innocent girl is dead because of you, not counting our own casualties. If you'd thought about it…"  
  
"Hey, wait a minute," Clay finally responded angrily, as Cole stopped only inches from him, his rage palpable. "You should know better, Cole. I had very little choice in the matter. The longer we're staying in this country, the more chances we'll all die!"  
  
"Well, with you in command, I think the Nazis don't have to worry about us. We'll all be done for anyway before we leave this accursed place," Cole continued unabated. "Phoebe could've died or our baby…" Cole had intended the first part to make a point with Clay, but his slip of the tongue actually deflated some of his anger. Clay watched him in puzzlement, unsure of what this meant either. Then he noticed Phoebe coming toward them, still holding the baby. He assumed that Cole had meant this baby, and in the heat of his tirade, slipped. This didn't account for Cole discomfit expression, but Clay wasn't looking at him anymore.  
  
"Phoebe, I was so worried about you," he said, while moving around Cole, who just then, found his voice again.  
  
"Stay right here! We're not done yet!"  
  
Clay tried to ignore him, as he continued toward Phoebe, but Cole wouldn't have it. He rushed him from behind and grabbed his shoulder roughly, forcing him to turn around. Clay immediately lifted his fist, more by reflex than actual intent, but that was enough. Cole felt provoked even more and hit him hard in the stomach.  
  
"Cole, please!" Phoebe called anxiously, as she stepped back, worried for the baby. However by then, both men were beyond listening to reason. As soon as Clay found his breath, he formed a fist, very intentionally this time, and hit Cole directly in the jaw, as hard as he could. Cole was still holding on to Clay and they both went down at this. The struggle continued on the ground, while their clamours and Phoebe's alerted Leo and the others, who were now coming toward the two fighters.  
  
Deep down, Phoebe also resented Clay for the girl's death, but that still didn't justify Cole's reaction in her eyes, as fighting between themselves would solve nothing at this point. She was relieved to see Leo coming toward them. He was the first one beside the combatants, and grabbed Clay firmly, although he had to be careful not to get hit himself, as the two men seemed intent on finishing each other. Even as he had managed to pull Clay away slightly, Cole hit the co-pilot again, sending both Clay and Leo falling backward rudely. Only when Cole saw his friend struggling to get out from under Clay did he finally managed to restrain himself. He still glared at the co-pilot angrily, but he felt ashamed at his strong reaction just the same. Leo stepped away from the two men warily, while others stood around, ready to pounce, were they to get at it again. After he brushed himself, Leo stared at both men with reproach written all over his face.  
  
"What the hell's got into you? Don't we have enough problems as it is?"  
  
Cole realized that it had gone too far, but he was still very angry and had pain hiding it. He looked away from Leo and caught sight of Phoebe's equally reproachful stare. This more than anything else felt like a cold shower to him.  
  
His gaze softened and he somewhat pleaded with her, but after a moment, she looked away uncertainly.  
  
"Cole," Leo pursued, "I didn't like what had to be done either…but Clay had a point, as hard as it is for me to admit."  
  
Cole reluctantly looked back at his friend and Leo could read the incredulity in his friend's eyes.  
  
"Leo, I can't believe you approved of this insanity!"  
  
"Approving is too strong a word, Cole… but I did see the necessity, yes."  
  
Cole couldn't wrap his mind around Leo's attitude for a while, and went on staring at him. Then, as he calmed down somewhat, he began to understand Leo's point of view, along with his own motivations for the outburst. He knew that the real reason why he went overboard was that he felt responsible for the girl's death. He painfully remembered his promise to Werner at this point. When he was almost ready to apologize, Leo suddenly looked away, apparently oblivious to them. Cole followed his gaze and saw the reason for his friend's distraction. Piper was coming out of the truck, albeit timidly. She was understandably shaken by all that happened. Leo seemed stuck in place for a moment, and Cole surmised that he had lost hope to ever see her again. However, as Piper saw Leo herself and started toward him, all hesitations were forgotten. Leo ran to her and hugged tight against him.  
  
"Oh my god, I was so afraid for you!" Leo exclaimed, as he began caressing her hair and her back, making sure that he wasn't dreaming. Meanwhile, Piper buried her face in his chest, too overwhelmed to talk. Leo forced her to look up and held her face tenderly toward him, as he questioned:  
  
"Did they hurt you? Are you alright?"  
  
Piper finally uttered softly:  
  
"Yes, I'm fine now. Now that I'm here with you, I'm truly ok…"  
  
They gazed at each other intently for a moment. Then Leo kissed her softly, oblivious to the other people around them.  
  
Meanwhile, Clay used this distraction to head in Phoebe's direction. This one only noticed him when he stopped beside her, and she smiled weakly at him.  
  
"Phoebe, I was so worried," he repeated.  
  
"I'm fine, really."  
  
Clay smiled in turn, but Phoebe's attention returned to the baby, as this one was now squirming in her arms. Clay turned his attention to the baby as well as he questioned:  
  
"Whose baby is this?"  
  
She didn't answer right away, since this brought back to her mind the way Cole had called him theirs. She still wondered why it had not surprised her more at the time. Anyway, before she could even try to answer Clay's question, he saw the other two tykes coming out of the truck, soon followed by Heinrich. This one was still holding the dead girl in his arms.  
  
"What the hell," Clay exclaimed. "Who are these people? What's with the girl?"  
  
Suddenly, he stopped himself, remembering Cole's inflamed accusation. He opened wide eyes at the thought.  
  
Looking back at Phoebe questioningly, he waited for her to explain, but it was Cole who answered, as he had come toward them.  
  
"These are the kids I swore to protect," he uttered bitterly.  
  
Clay turned to him, now just as incredulous as Cole had been with Leo:  
  
"And you say that I'm insane? How the hell are we supposed to take those kids with us?"  
  
"The same way we're gonna save the others…at least, the ones that are left," Cole added even more sombrely.  
  
He had no idea how many of their comrades had fallen at the road block, but he knew that they had lost too many. This, added to the young girl's death, weighed heavily on his mind. As if that wasn't enough, his guilt was compounded by Heinrich's obvious grief. He felt that he had failed him deeply.  
  
At this point, he saw their German companion moving around the truck, and delicately sitting the young girl on the passenger's side. Puzzlement mixed in with his regrets for Cole, until he saw Heinrich take the wheel.  
  
"Where are you going," he asked then, forgetting about his guilt, and instead worrying about Heinrich's state of mind.  
  
"I'm going back," this one simply stated, as he was looking for the keys in the ignition. When he didn't find them, he turned angrily toward Cole.  
  
"Give me the keys."  
  
"No, I can't do that, Heinrich. This is crazy. And besides, aren't you forgetting something?" Cole asked, as he was indicating the baby in Phoebe's arms, then the other two kids, in turn.  
  
Heinrich barely looked at them, before pursuing stubbornly:  
  
"Give me the keys now. You don't need me anymore…"  
  
The little boys began crying loudly when they understood that he was leaving them behind.  
  
Seeing this, Phoebe tried in turn to convince him:  
  
"Heinrich, I understand how terrible this must be for you. But don't you think that she'd have wanted you to take care of her family?"  
  
Heinrich flinched at this. Sadly, he turned again toward the two little boys. These were watching him in a panic. Heinrich only had wanted to get away from everyone, as he felt the need to grieve on his own. He also resented the Americans for their failure to protect her. However, Phoebe's argument about the other kids got through to him. He looked back at the inanimate body by his side, and then said:  
  
"I can't leave her behind. I've got to give her a proper burial at the very least," he uttered on the verge of tears…  
  
Cole stepped toward him then:  
  
"I can't tell you how sorry I am, Heinrich…of course, we'll bring her with us. She'll have the benefit of a proper burial once we're out of this country. Then, if you wish so, we'll help you place the kids in a good family. This, I swear to you. But you can't abandon them now…If you feel the need to punish someone, hit me, but these kids need you. You're obviously the only family they've got left."  
  
When he saw the man hesitating, he pursued:  
  
"They've already lost her…"  
  
Heinrich was still torn between his grief and his sense of duty, but he finally agreed reluctantly.  
  
"Heinrich," Cole then said, although hesitantly, "she can't stay there, though… Maybe you could go with the boys, and I'll make sure that she's taken care of properly…"  
  
Heinrich gave the young girl once last look and he nodded quickly before going to reassure the younger kids. Cole went and took the girl out of the vehicle himself, as Clay used this time to talk to Phoebe again. He had painfully noticed the way she and Cole interacted earlier.  
  
"Phoebe," he called to her, as the others were returning to their own duties, while Leo and Piper went to one of the trucks themselves.  
  
Phoebe took a moment before answering. Heinrich's grief had been painful to see, even more so that she shared it in a small but significant way, as she gazed upon the little child in her arms.  
  
"Yes," she finally answered in a little voice, while anticipating what the questions would be.  
  
"Is there something you wanna tell me?"  
  
Reluctantly, she turned to Clay, not really knowing how to begin.  
  
"I mean," He pursued, "I thought that…well, I thought that you and Cole weren't in the best of terms…"  
  
Grimacing, she still said:  
  
"What makes you think it changed?"  
  
Clay sighed somewhat impatiently:  
  
"I've got eyes to see, Phoebe… You can't seriously think that he is sincere, can you?"  
  
"First of all, I didn't say there was anything between us… but even if there were, I think that I can judge for myself…"  
  
"Phoebe, he's not worthy of you. You've got to know that."  
  
Phoebe was irritated by his insistence, and also because she still had lingering doubts. However, after she looked away and breathed deeply to calm herself, she turned back to him:  
  
"Clay, I'm afraid that I might've given you the wrong impression about us…I've got a lot of affection for you, but that's all. I'm sorry if I gave you false hopes, it wasn't my intention to lead you on…"  
  
"Phoebe, I…"  
  
"No, please. I still wish for us to be friend, because I do respect you a lot. However, it can never go further than that…"  
  
Clay watched her a moment longer, trying to find something that would change her mind. In the end, he only added:  
  
"I am your friend, Phoebe. And as such, I only wish that you could be spared the pain he'll surely put you through. But whatever happens, I'll be there for you when you need me."  
  
Phoebe gave him a pained looked at this. Just then, Cole was returning from his sad chore and he stopped short at seeing Clay and Phoebe together. Fear mixed with a lingering anger mounted in him. Yet, instead of addressing this, he went to them and gruffly said:  
  
"We've got to push on until we found this airfield."  
  
Clay turned to him with some surprise as he had not noticed his approach.  
  
"Ok, I agree," he said reluctantly.  
  
Clay glanced back at Phoebe, but this one was again looking at the child, ostensibly ignoring both of them now. Stifling a sigh, he went back to the trucks, while Cole stood there, unsure if something had changed. When she wouldn't talk, he uttered:  
  
"I'm not even sure why, but I'm sorry, Phoebe…again…"  
  
He saw her flinching, but she still avoided his stare. He got a sinking feeling that Clay might have gotten through to her somehow, and if that pained him, it angered him as well.  
  
"We gotta go," he went on curtly, as he took the direction of Heinrich's truck.  
  
"Cole," Phoebe called then. He stopped short but did not look at her. He worried suddenly about what she might have to say.  
  
"I didn't change my mind, Cole…"  
  
He swallowed hard before questioning:  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About us… I didn't change my mind about us, if that's what worries you."  
  
Cole sighed deeply in relief but said nothing yet, which had Phoebe getting worried herself.  
  
"But…have you?"  
  
Cole swung around at this, shocked that she might still think this.  
  
"No! Of course not. I was just wondering if…"  
  
Phoebe smiled softly as she came to him:  
  
"That's ok. I was just upset about the fight and everything else, for that matter."  
  
When she was close enough to touch him, she looked up at him expectantly.  
  
"I love you," she whispered softly then.  
  
Cole couldn't help question again:  
  
"Clay…"  
  
"Clay's just a friend, Cole…he can't change how I feel about you."  
  
Cole bent toward her then, taking her offered lips lightly.  
  
"I love you too, believe me, I do…" he whispered against her lips. Then, he reluctantly pulled back as the other trucks roared to life.  
  
"We've gotta go…"  
  
He turned back toward their truck, and she went to the passenger side, just as Cole was making sure that Heinrich was in the back with the other two kids. Afterward, he worried a little about having her in the front, but he knew that there was no point in protesting. He then started their vehicle and followed the others.  
  
Meanwhile, Clay had been surprised to find Paige waiting for him by the other trucks. When he went toward the cabin of the first one, she followed him without a word and climbed in the seat beside him. Clay didn't know exactly how to feel about this. He realized that she must have known somehow that her predictions had come true. Yet, she didn't comment or said, "I told you so". Instead, she simply stayed with him in silence and he was grateful for this. He was still torn by his affection for Phoebe, but wondered vaguely what it would be like to accept Paige's offer as they drove off…  
  
They were still worried about eventual pursuers, but no one came after them that morning. It took them only an hour to find the airfield they had been looking for and after discussing their option a little further down the road, they chose to stay in hiding until nightfall.  
  
They found a spot a few miles down the road that would keep them away from prying eyes, and then had to make another painful decision. As Cole had surmised, there were indeed many casualties during the attack. In fact, Leo told him of nine of their own who had fallen. This was not counting another five who had been hurt and that he was caring for in the second truck. Although Cole intended to keep his promise to Heinrich about the young girl, he did realize that this many corpses would only hinder their chances. Reluctantly, they all agreed that these couldn't be brought along, and the men began digging in the nearby forest, providing a grim resting place for their dead companions.  
  
After saying a prayer for them, Cole offered to those who were still reluctant at leaving them behind that in the future, there might be a way to get them back and have them moved to the states. They marked the graves with improvised crosses made of twigs, and then prepared for the last of their tasks, which would hopefully at last bring them out of this country. There were many imponderables in the plan. The first one being that they had to find a plane large enough to carry the forty or so that still composed their group. The other was that the wait might have given time to the German to find the devastated roadblock. Clay and Cole feared that in this eventuality, the security would be reinforced at the airfield. In order to verify those two points, as soon as night fell both men took Heinrich's truck and went to reconnoitre the surroundings. They found a side road made of dirt that led beside one of the airstrips. It was barely large enough to give passage to the trucks, but they knew that it would be their best chance to come close enough with the vehicles. Once they got to their objective however, they found that their fears were justified, as not only many soldiers were patrolling around the hangar and the tower, but a series of fighter planes were lined up on the tarmac. This last detail gave a chill to Cole, but he continued his surveying until he found that at the very least they had one stroke of luck. At the edge of the tarmac, they found that a cargo plane was being unloaded and even refilled as they watched. In spite of the rest, they knew that this would be their best chance, and they hurried back toward the main road and then the rest of their party, all the long taking care of keeping the headlights off. This was nerve racking but they made it back apparently without having alerted the Germans. Less than thirty minutes later, the trucks were making their way on the dirt road, still without headlights. Cole, who was leading the small convoy in Heinrich's vehicle worried non stop that one of them would either stray from the road, or rear end the other, but they made it to the airfield unscathed.  
  
There, they abandoned the vehicles under the cover of trees, and while some carried the wounded, they made their way as quietly as they could in the darkness. Their luck held as the plane was still a little ways from the hangar and only bathed by the moonlight. Cole and Clay went ahead, and then hiding behind the wheels. The plane seemed to have been left there for the night. They surmised that this probably meant it would have been the first aircraft to leave in the morning and that it must be ready to fly. Carefully, Clay made his way toward the ladder that was still against the plane, while Cole watched for a possible patrol. Clay then went into the plane and made sure that it was ready as they had assumed. As soon as he was certain of it, he went back out and signalled to Cole. This one ran back toward the larger group, and it was decided that they would make their way to the plane by small groups of five. The wounded made it there first with a few men carrying them or helping them along. After a painstaking and tense thirty minutes, most of them had embarked in the plane. The two little boys had gone ahead with another group, but Phoebe, Heinrich and the baby were part of the last five to go. Heinrich was carrying the young girl and started ahead of them, while Cole nervously closed their small procession. If this part of the plan had been relatively easy, the next one might actually not be… As they neared the cargo plane, he eyed the fighter planes warily. He had already made a painful decision, but had not told anyone yet. Piper and Leo were waiting anxiously for them at the bottom of the ladder and they urged them on. Heinrich climbed up, while Phoebe stopped suddenly, as she sensed something wrong. She turned back toward Cole and realized that he had also stopped a few feet back. The look on his face told her that her fears were justified, and she gave the baby to Piper before going toward him.  
  
"What are you doing," she then asked anxiously.  
  
Cole hesitated at length to tell her. He knew she would be very upset and had hoped that she would not have realized his plan until she was onboard the plane.  
  
"Cole, what are you doing," she repeated with a slightly trembling voice.  
  
"Phoebe…"  
  
She came closer, looking up with pleading eyes.  
  
"Cole, come with me now…" she said, as she tried to take his hand.  
  
He pulled it away, and stared at her tensely:  
  
"Someone has to stay behind to cover your backs. I'm the most qualified to do it…Clay can pilot you out of the country."  
  
"You can't be serious…"  
  
"Oh, but I am… Phoebe, you would be sitting ducks in front of those planes. I have to do something about them."  
  
By then, Leo was also alerted by his friend and Phoebe's attitude.  
  
"Cole," he called to him, "what are you doing? We've got to go!"  
  
Cole turned toward him:  
  
"Get her in, Leo. I've got something else to do…"  
  
Leo frowned and came closer:  
  
"What are you talking about? We're ready to go. There's nothing else left to do but fly this plane out of here."  
  
"Yes there is, Leo," Cole said firmly, while indicating the fighters.  
  
Leo understood right away and opened wide eyes at this.  
  
Cole pursued:  
  
"That's the best way. I'll make sure they don't follow while you're escaping." Then, he added without looking directly at them:  
  
"I'll catch up with you afterward…"  
  
"Cole, you can't do this by yourself. You may be good, but not that good."  
  
Cole turned back toward him severely:  
  
"I won't let anyone else risk their lives, Leo! We've lost too many already."  
  
Leo understood that Cole wasn't going to change his mind, and as time was of the essence, he couldn't argue any longer. After he stared painfully at Cole, he extended his hand toward his. Cole took it firmly, forcing himself to smile:  
  
"I'll see you on the other side…"  
  
Reluctantly, Leo let go and tried to grab Phoebe's arm, but this one shook him off of her, moving closer to Cole.  
  
"No, you can't leave me. You promised."  
  
He stared at her for an instant longer, then oblivious to the others watching he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.  
  
"And I promise you that I'll be back," he said afterward, as he let her go.  
  
"Never forget that I love you. You won't get rid of me that easily," he added, again forcing a smile on his lips as he saw her eyes filling with tears.  
  
"Please," she pleaded again, but this time, when Leo took her arm, she allowed him to pull her back toward the plane. Cole watched them until they were inside, and then, he made his move toward the fighters. He was almost at them, when a terrible sensation of foreboding hit him. He didn't know why, but he was certain that it wasn't only his plan. This was confirmed to him when he suddenly saw the shimmering light again. In front of him, things seemed similar, except that he was back beside the cargo plane, and when he looked up, it wasn't Phoebe going in. It was that other woman that he'd seen many times in the visions, Amelia. She was staring in his direction from the airplane's door, and he realized that she was looking at someone standing beside him. This one was the same Richard from the vision. Just like he had done only seconds ago, this one was turning toward the fighter planes, but unlike Cole, he didn't hesitate and climbed in the cockpit of the nearest one, as the cargo plane's engines roared to life.  
  
The noise immediately alerted the soldiers who were guarding the hanger and they came rushing toward them. Cole started his own engine and without wait put the weapons online. As the first few soldiers passed in front of him, he started shooting at them with the plane's guns. The soldiers that were not hit ran for cover, and then began shooting at him in turn. Behind him, the cargo plane was already rolling toward the airstrip and rapidly picked up speed, as Richard warmed up his engine and started turning the nose of the fighter toward the other planes. Bullets were continuously raining on the cockpit, and he got grazed on the left shoulder but he ignored the pain while he went on until he had lined up the first of the other planes. Without hesitation, and as the cargo plane was lifting off in the distance, he sent two missiles toward the fighters. The first two planes exploded in a fiery blast, while he continued with a barrage of gunfire that prevented the Germans to pursue the cargo. When he was certain that they were far enough, he tried to move toward the airstrip himself, but that his when his plane's tail was hit by a rocket launched from the ground.  
  
Cole jumped at the loud explosion, and he was convinced that Richard had died. However, even as he was thinking this, the perspective changed, and he found himself in some sort of wooden barrack, obviously part of a camp. He assumed that it must be a prisoners' camp. Cots were lined up close together in the cramped space. As he looked closer, he recognized Richard, sitting forlornly on one of them. He was a pale imitation of his former self, unshaven, thinner. His eyes had lost their fire, as he simply stared at nothing in particular. Even as he watched, something extraordinary happened. Behind Richard, a multitude of white orbs began swirling and suddenly, Leo materialized in the middle of them. Richard turned toward him with as much surprise as Cole. However, Leo smiled gently at him:  
  
"Richard, you can't lose hope. You'll get out of here, I promise you."  
  
"How are you here?"  
  
"It doesn't matter, Richard. All that matters is for you to understand that she still loves you and she didn't lose hope…"  
  
Before Richard could question his friend further, this one vanished again among bright orbs. Cole saw Richard rub his face in total bewilderment. Yet, even if he seemed incredulous at what he saw, Cole thought that a little flame of hope had returned to him then…"  
  
Again, the shimmering started, but this time, he found himself back to headquarters, near Paris. He saw Clint, the other man from the visions, going into the office where Leo and Cole had stood before this whole misadventure started. The clerk behind the desk handed papers to Clint, and from the look of them, those were his release papers. Right after this, the clerk handed him a single sheet of paper, that Clint read attentively, while a grimace formed on his face. The clerk looked curiously at him then, and Clint forced a smile:  
  
"That's good news. We thought that Richard was dead…"  
  
"Indeed, that's good news. He might just get his medal in person rather than posthumously. He's not out of the woods yet, however. All we managed to get is a list of the prisoners' names, but they haven't been release to this day."  
  
Clint hesitated a moment longer, then he said:  
  
"Whenever he's free, I'd like to be notified. He's got a lady friend who is returning to the states with me, Amelia Johnson, and she'd be grateful if I could give her the news of his release and possibly even any letters?"  
  
"Is this lady going to stay with you in the states?"  
  
"No… but she has yet to find a suitable place back there, and I'd be glad to pass on to her whatever you or him have to send…"  
  
"That's mighty kind of you."  
  
"Not at all, I simply have a lot of affection for the lady in question. So is this a deal?"  
  
"Of course, we'll send you whatever we get about or from Captain Tanner."  
  
The clerk noted only the street address, writing Amelia Johnson as the recipient and then he put it in Captain Tanner's file.  
  
"I'll make sure that all the correspondence goes to this address until further notice."  
  
"Thank you," Clint said sincerely before taking his leave.  
  
Until now, Cole had no idea what he was witnessing exactly, but each step made him feel increasingly uncomfortable. When the scenery changed again, he found himself inside a cozy little house, which he assumed must have been in the states as he saw Clint sitting at a wooden desk. This one was reading a crumpled letter and he seemed upset. Cole had also realized a while back that during those visions, he was totally invisible to the ones who peopled it. Therefore, as he became curious about the letter, he went behind Clint and bent over his shoulders to read it as well. The letter was signed Richard, with all my love. It started with "Dear Amelia, I wish that I could hold you in my arms right now, but my duties are not over just yet around here. I still have a few months to serve, but I promise you that I'll be with you as soon as I can…  
  
Cole barely had time to decipher those lines before Clint tore it apart angrily and threw it in the wastebasket by his desk. He picked up another envelope that looked official. It had been opened already and he pulled a typed letter from it. This was an official announcement about Captain Richard Tanner's safe return from a prolonged sojourn in a German prisoners' camp. Clint seemed to hesitate longer with this one. Yet, eventually, the letter was subjected to the same treatment as the first one. Then, as if tearing them apart wasn't enough, Clint struck a match and set them on fire. Even as Cole was frowning unhappily, he felt that he was pulled away again and found himself across the street from a small home in the suburb. Standing before him was a hesitant Richard. He seemed unsure as to what to do and was watching the house in question. Suddenly, the door opened and Clint came out of it, carrying a small suitcase. He had on a civilian pilot's uniform. Behind him, Cole was surprised to see Amelia, apparently many months pregnant. Richard was already taking a few steps forward when Clint turned back toward her and kissed her goodbye like only a husband would. Cole saw Richard's shoulders sagging at the sight, as he quickly hid behind a nearby tree. They both watched her waving good bye at Clint, as this one got into his car and waved back before leaving. Amelia was still watching the car going when she suddenly jerked her head toward Richard's hiding place. Cole saw her frown uncertainly. For a moment, he believed that she had seen Richard, but soon she shook her head and re- entered the house. Richard hesitated a moment longer, then he came out and slowly made his way toward the white mailbox that stood at the end of the driveway. As Cole followed him, he read the names written on it at the same time as an obviously devastated Richard: Mr. and Mrs. Clint Larsen.  
  
This time, when he found himself sitting in the airliner, Cole knew exactly what the matter was. However, before he could tell Phoebe or the others, he heard the old couple's bickering again.  
  
"This craziness is probably all in your head," the old Clay was saying.  
  
"How dare you? You saw Leo like I did," the old Phoebe replied angrily.  
  
"He was just a doppelganger… One more bad omen on this trip, I'll say. I don't know why I believed that we could repair this relationship."  
  
"Oh, that's rich of you, considering what you did to Cole and me."  
  
"I didn't do anything! How many times do I have to tell you?"  
  
"And what he wrote in his book was all a lie of course. I don't believe that. You knew he loved me. And most of all, you knew how much I loved him. I was even carrying his child. Why did you do this to us?"  
  
"You believe the rant of a sad old drunk. He probably embellished his side of the story to make himself look better. The sad truth is that he abandoned you, just like I told you. There never were any letters."  
  
The old Phoebe pulled a book that she obviously had read many times as the pages were corned and the cover worn out.  
  
"It's all in there, Clay. Everything exactly as I remember it. Why would he have changed the rest? You ruined my life and you just won't admit it."  
  
"You stupid woman…"  
  
This time, Cole couldn't stand it anymore:  
  
"He's lying to you. He burned those letters, I saw him!"  
  
Cole realized that the man before him wasn't Clint, but by then, he had also figured out most of what was happening. However, before he could explain himself any further, not only to the flabbergasted old couple, but also to Phoebe, who had turned to him as if he'd gone mad, the shimmering started again.  
  
Cole found himself back in front of the fighter planes, but this time he remembered everything, every single vision. And most of all, he remembered that he didn't belong there at all.  
  
"What the hell?" He exclaimed.  
  
He suddenly realized that he was standing in the open, and took cover behind a few crates. Looking back toward the cargo plane, he saw Leo waving imperatively. Then, this one came rushing toward his hiding place. He looked like he'd seen a ghost…  
  
As soon as he had taken cover in turn, Leo questioned:  
  
"Cole, what year is it?"  
  
"Ok now, that is a stupid question. Yet… what year do YOU think it is?"  
  
"How about 1944 and 2002…"  
  
"That's just about what I figured. What the hell is happening here? And most of all, how come I didn't remember anything until now?"  
  
"I can't tell you why…I can only tell you that I also just remembered everything…"  
  
"How about Phoebe and her sisters?"  
  
"I don't think they remembered yet. And we better hurry, because Clint... I mean Clay is about to take off…"  
  
"Leo, you're not helping…"  
  
"You shouldn't talk. All of this is most probably your fault."  
  
Cole gave him an irritated glare, but Leo ignored it.  
  
"Anyway, I might be mistaken, but this could be some kind of paradox. I've seen all of this happen more or less in the same manner during the war. One of my regrets about that time was that the Elders forbade me from talking to Amelia. They caught me going to Richard and that was the end of it. What happened next caused my friend to live a miserable life, with only one achievement among drunken binges. That book he wrote about the war…"  
  
"And then what? You think that if we change what happened, it'll repair the past?"  
  
"It's worth a try…"  
  
"Leo, from where I stand, the situation hasn't changed. This Richard made the only sensible choice at the time. If I don't do the same as he did, things could get much worse than lost love."  
  
Cole was about to go after the fighter planes, but Leo held him back.  
  
"Wait, that's not your war…"  
  
"Maybe, but how can I be sure that Phoebe and our son won't get hurt if I don't do anything. You said it yourself, it's a paradox, and right now, we have no way of knowing the rules…I won't risk their safety…"  
  
"No wonder you took his place," Leo replied dejectedly, "you're just as stubborn and rash as he was…"  
  
"I prefer to call it sensible …" Cole replied, while pulling away from Leo.  
  
"Wait," this one said again. "Maybe, there's another way…"  
  
"Which one?" Cole asked, suddenly interested.  
  
"Can you use your powers?"  
  
"Well, I don't know. I haven't used them a single time since…"  
  
"The plane… Try now."  
  
Cole tried to flash out but nothing would do…  
  
"What about you? You're yourself, maybe you can orb, or something?"  
  
"Nope, I tried…"  
  
Cole gave him an exasperated look. Then, he seemed to think of something else:  
  
"I did use my powers on the plane. As we were landing, then never since…"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What if…"  
  
"You think that we've got to be in the air?"  
  
"Who knows…after all, in reality we are on a plane right now, aren't we?"  
  
"Let's go then," Leo immediately agreed.  
  
Cole stayed behind, however.  
  
"Wait, what if I'm wrong?"  
  
The cargo plane's engines roared at this moment, making the decision for them, as it was too late for Cole to get to the fighters. They heard the clamours from soldiers running their way.  
  
"Now is the time to check it out. Run!" Leo exclaimed.  
  
Cole gave one last look toward the fighter planes, then he started running toward the cargo. Heinrich was closing the door when they reached the ladder among a barrage of bullets that they escaped by miracle.  
  
"Heinrich, wait!" Cole screamed as he climbed the steps hurriedly behind Leo.  
  
They made it just in time as the plane was already moving. Phoebe and Piper were waiting for them inside, but they still didn't seem to remember who they truly were. The bullets raining on the fuselage stopped them from commenting on the men's return, while Cole decided to give a try to the same protection power as he had used twice already. Unfortunately, it still didn't work. By then however, the plane was already on its way and they could feel the acceleration. Through a window, Cole saw that pilots were already climbing into the fighters and he could only hope that his theory held, as they were soon moving toward them on the airstrip. The plane lifted its nose and at last they took off. However, even then, Cole couldn't seem to do anything. Leo gave him a pointed look, but Cole shrugged worriedly. They felt that Clay was veering toward the border, as they were gaining altitude. Just then, a missile came rushing and missed the cargo only by about a hundred feet.  
  
"Cole, try again," Leo said between clenched teeth.  
  
Behind them, they heard the threatening whistle that announced another missile inbounds. Cole concentrated as much as he could then, and suddenly the whole plane seemed to be bathed in a whitish light… 


	12. The Wings of Love (Chapter XII)

The Wings of Love  
  
Chapter XII  
  
  
  
  
  
As the whitish light dissipated, Cole found himself sitting in the airliner again. Outside, the storm was still going, but gave signs of waning. Uncertain, he peered closely, half expecting fighter planes to be on their tail. However, he could see nor hear nothing besides the thunder and lightning outside. Phoebe was watching him curiously, but as he was preparing to try and explain what had happened, he heard something that surprised him anew.  
  
"Richard, you're so romantic!"  
  
"Me? Nah… I just feel lucky to have you…"  
  
Cole turned to see the old lady bending toward an old Richard and kissing him tenderly. When she pulled back, he recognized Amelia, but was even more stunned when she turned to him, smiling softly.  
  
"Thank you," she simply said, deepening Cole's surprise. Phoebe, who still didn't know exactly what had transpired, questioned warily.  
  
"What are you thanking him for?"  
  
A smiling Richard answered this:  
  
"For restoring what had been lost, thank you too."  
  
Phoebe frowned at this and turned to Cole for an explanation. Instead, this one questioned the old couple:  
  
"How did you?"  
  
"It doesn't matter," Richard continued calmly. "It's enough for you to know that we're very grateful."  
  
He grabbed Amelia's hand at this and brought it to his lips.  
  
Leo was coming toward them and hesitated when he recognized Richard. He almost turned back, but Richard and Amelia seemed to have sensed his approach. Indeed, Richard twisted around in his seat while telling Leo:  
  
"And thanks to you as well, my old friend."  
  
Leo watched him uncertainly.  
  
"Huh, what do you mean?"  
  
"Oh come on, Leo. I couldn't fail to recognize my best friend from the old days. I missed you…"  
  
Leo was dumbfounded and still tried to deny.  
  
"You're mistaking me for someone else…"  
  
Amelia gazed at him in turn, just as amazingly unconcerned:  
  
"Don't worry, Leo, your secret's safe with us. We know all about you. About all of you," she added, while looking at each in turn. "But none of this matters."  
  
"Pardon me for asking," Cole asked then, "but I'd still like to know what you mean…"  
  
"You should know," Richard pursued. "Just now, as well as all those years ago, you helped us. Thanks to this, Amelia and I stayed together."  
  
Phoebe frowned anew, but this time, a slight understanding seemed to dawn on her.  
  
"Wait…I seem to remember something…just wait," she said, as she concentrated. Then she, as well as Piper, opened wide eyes.  
  
"What?" They both exclaimed at the same time.  
  
Amelia and Richard just nodded in acquiescence, while the girls still tried to grasp the incredible truth.  
  
Then, Phoebe's expression turned slightly reproachful as she glanced back at Cole:  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"Me? Why do you assume it's me?"  
  
"Cole," she grumbled warningly. However, this one squirmed without replying. Instead, he pretended to become absorbed in Leo's exchange with the old couple:  
  
"I seem to remember things differently now," this one said, when he finally understood that there was no point in denying who he was to them.  
  
"Yes, I also do," Richard uttered calmly. Then he pursued:  
  
"After what you'd done for us, we got back to France safely. Although, we still had a close call with our own air force on the way, if you remember."  
  
"Yes, they tried to shot us down, and we had to land on a country road. Very unnerving…" Leo added with the beginning of a smile forming.  
  
"Yes…and then, when we arrived in France, we got married almost immediately, in a double ceremony with Lilian and you…"  
  
"Yeah," Leo pursued, now smiling frankly, "and I remember that you were less jittery than I was and that we had a good laugh about it…"  
  
"I did admit that you'd been right all along, didn't I?"  
  
Richard became slightly embarrassed then, as he looked behind Leo toward Piper:  
  
"I'm sorry… Mrs Wyatt, I presume? I didn't mean to be rude…"  
  
Piper grimaced, as the mention of Leo's ex-wife had indeed made her uncomfortable, but she still smiled weakly at Richard afterward:  
  
"No it's ok, it's all in the past…well… now it is," she added, somewhat confused by all the flooding memories.  
  
"So, it worked," Cole added, mostly for himself. Richard heard however, and turned to him.  
  
"Yeah, it did. And we're very thankful."  
  
Although Cole appreciated this gratefulness, it also embarrassed him somewhat. Therefore, to hide his discomfort, he asked about the rest:  
  
"I'm curious…did you remember everything then?"  
  
"For a short while… But long enough for me to knock Clint out after we'd safely landed." He looked back at Amelia with an amused smile, and she slapped him affectionately on the shoulder.  
  
"Good thing you forgave me…" As he turned back toward Cole, he added:  
  
"Until a moment ago, I'd never told her why, so she was understandably upset at the time."  
  
"Why didn't you," she asked, although obviously amused.  
  
"Well, now it doesn't sound so crazy. But at the time, I feared that you'd write me off as certifiable. I still couldn't let him get away with it, though…"  
  
Cole couldn't help adding:  
  
"Good for you."  
  
Phoebe stared at Cole questioningly, but he dismissed it.  
  
"Long story," he said quickly.  
  
Phoebe watched him a moment longer. Then, she asked hesitantly:  
  
"Does it have anything to do with these letters you were talking about? Oh never mind," she said, shrugging. Instead, she questioned Richard further.  
  
"So, what happened next?"  
  
"Next?" Richard asked uncertainly.  
  
"Well, I mean like, did you ever see Werner again," she pursued, as she remembered the big man fondly.  
  
"Oh yes! As a matter of fact, he came to the States the next year. Said something about being tired of playing the idiot with his own family and also being fed up with the general attitudes of people around him. At first, he was upset with me for the young girl, who's name was Rita, by the way…" Richard added, as a shadow crossed his features at the memory. Then, he smiled again.  
  
"But it got better, and he became godfather to her first daughter, whom we gave the same name…He also raised the other kids with that nurse, the one who'd been infatuated with Clint. Seems they'd met briefly in his hometown, and when he came to rejoin us, they saw each other again and hit it off."  
  
Paige, who had not really participated in the conversation till then, exclaimed:  
  
"That big man?"  
  
Amelia smiled in her direction:  
  
"In spite of his size, he was a gentle man. They were very happy."  
  
"So what happened of her thing with Clay…huh…Clint?"  
  
Richard answered this:  
  
"I think that in time, she pegged him for what he was… a weasel…"  
  
"Richard!" Amelia exclaimed in turn, "you shouldn't speak ill of him. It was long ago… Water under the bridge… if you see what I mean?"  
  
"Ok, you're right, I shouldn't be like this…"  
  
He smiled at her gently and for a while, they seemed to forget about the people around them. Outside the plane, the last of the storm was dissipating at last, and they could see a clear sky returning. Even as the sky turned blue, Leo's expression seemed to darken as he watched the old couple.  
  
Amelia and Richard turned one last time toward them with soft smiles, and then, they slowly vanished, as if they had never been there.  
  
Somewhere in a cemetery, two tombstones stood side by side. On it were the names Clint and Amelia Larsen. A shimmering seemed to cross over the tombstones, and afterward, the names had changed to Richard and Amelia Tanner. The year of their death read 1992… On a plate that stood between the two graves, a message read as follow:  
  
"They were taken from us too suddenly, but we'll remember them always for all the love they gave to us."  
  
Back in the plane, the girls and Cole turned to Leo questioningly, even as the other passengers seemed to be coming out of their apparent lethargy. Leo was shaken and seemed stuck in place for a moment. Piper, realizing that they were rather conspicuous, tapped on his shoulder lightly, which reminded him that they were still standing in the alley. Shaking himself, he directed Piper toward the seats the old couple just left, and then sat beside her. Piper was watching him curiously and she also seemed preoccupied by something. Leo noticed her worried expression, but he didn't feel like asking what bothered her as he guessed what it was.  
  
Instead, he answered the others' silent question:  
  
"They passed away ten years ago…" he said, as his voice trailed and he seemed lost in thoughts again. "I remember it all now. Both timelines… That's very freaky…"  
  
"What is," Cole questioned, "I mean besides what we just went through…"  
  
"In the original timeline," Leo began, "Clint and Amelia died in a plane crash on this very route… So did Richard and Amelia, in the present one…I think that somehow, they were waiting for some kind of resolution, and it may just have come in the form of a little magical push," he added for Cole.  
  
"Hey, who said that was it? There might be a lot of other explanations," he protested mildly, as he sensed Phoebe's reproachful stare.  
  
"You promised, Cole…"  
  
"Well, like Leo just said, it did some good…" he trailed.  
  
Phoebe was still not too happy, as she sat back and ostensibly looked down at Jason.  
  
"Hum…"  
  
"Phoebe…" he pleaded with a frown.  
  
"Why don't we talk about this later?" She interrupted then without even looking at him.  
  
Cole stifled a dejected sigh, and turned his attention back to Leo:  
  
"So, you're saying that we went through all this so that ghosts got back together?"  
  
"They still got a very long and happy life together after the war. I don't know about Clint though, so don't ask. I now remember that Richard became a writer, and that besides a relatively successful book about the war, he also wrote thrillers."  
  
"Wow, hard to imagine him as a writer…"  
  
"I guess that Amelia wasn't too fond of him going off all the time as a pilot. He still flew for fifteen years before he settled down as a novelist."  
  
"Huh, Leo… Weren't you like tempted to change something else in the past," Cole asked then, obviously referring to the whitelighter's untimely death.  
  
"As you said back at the airfield, this was all some weird paradox. I didn't remember a thing about the particulars until the moment we came out of it…and even if I had, I don't know that I'd have changed anything."  
  
Piper finally addressed her own concerned, as the others got lost in their reminiscence.  
  
"Are you sure that you don't regret, Leo? You seemed very much in love with…Lilian." She finished hesitantly.  
  
Leo turned to her with a shocked expression:  
  
"Piper, you don't think that I regret our life together, do you? I mean, Lilian is part of the past. You and our baby are my life now…"  
  
"Still, as long as I didn't know how much you loved her, it wasn't so hard to kind of forget about it."  
  
Leo wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders:  
  
"Piper, I won't lie to you and tell you that I didn't love her…But, this happened a long time ago. I love you and you alone, I assure you."  
  
Piper was already smiling weakly when a new arrival stopped her. Leo followed her gaze to find the blond whitelighter standing by their side.  
  
"Leo! The Elders were wondering about you."  
  
"Well, it's a long story," Leo said, obviously very embarrassed, which did nothing to reassure Piper.  
  
"What are you doing here anyway? Don't you think it's rather reckless of you to show up here?"  
  
"It's ok. No one saw me coming. The Elders wanted me to check up on you…And besides, I needed some advice about a charge…"  
  
"Lilian, you know perfectly well that I'm not on call right now…"  
  
The blond woman flinched, but never as badly as Piper.  
  
"Leo? Who's she?"  
  
Leo slowly looked back toward Piper, and then hesitantly answered:  
  
"Huh… Don't you recognize her? You've met her once…"  
  
"Is this really who I think it is? Your wife?"  
  
Lilian interjected:  
  
"You don't have to worry, Piper. It was a long time ago…"  
  
Piper stared at the girl with obvious uncertainty.  
  
"I seemed to remember you looking much older…"  
  
"Oh that. Well, I was given a choice for my appearance, and frankly, I prefer the way I looked when I was younger…"  
  
Lilian seemed genuinely unconcerned, but Piper couldn't help resenting her, and mostly Leo for not telling her who she was before.  
  
"Piper," this one said, "I'd have told you…"  
  
"When exactly?"  
  
"I was just waiting for the right moment…" he trailed unhappily.  
  
Just then, Lilian seemed to realize that her presence was more of a burden than a help.  
  
"Huh, well, I'll be going… but the Elders sure would like to know what happened, Leo. As soon as possible…"  
  
"What's the big emergency?"  
  
"This plane was supposed to have crashed originally…"  
  
Cole couldn't help overhearing this, and he quickly saw the implication:  
  
"Really?" he said with a vindicated smile…  
  
Even Phoebe's pointed look didn't make a dent in his self-satisfied mood.  
  
Leo shook his head almost dejectedly at the sight, while Lilian watched them uncomprehendingly for a few more seconds. Then, she simply left, after she made Leo promise to orb up as soon as he could.  
  
Piper had just finished putting their clothes away when Leo orbed in the hotel room. They had only been in Paris for a few hours, and already he had broken his promise to stay with her. Although Piper understood that it might have been necessary, she couldn't help wondering about his motivation. She knew deep down that it was ridiculous, yet no amount of reasoning could stop her from wondering if his eagerness to go up there had more to do with his ex wife than the Elders.  
  
"You're back…" Piper said but without the enthusiasm that he had expected.  
  
"What? Too long? I tried to keep it as short as I could, but they asked to have a word with Cole as well and…"  
  
"Wow, you're telling me?"  
  
"Huh no… Just that I wanted you to understand I didn't stay that long for any other reason…"  
  
"Ah…"  
  
"Look Piper, I know you're upset about Lilian."  
  
"Can we please keep her out of the conversation? I'm not in the mood to talk about your ex wife…"  
  
"See, I knew you'd be upset."  
  
Until that moment, Piper had barely looked at him, but this provoked a stronger reaction.  
  
"And why wouldn't I be? You kept it from me. You must've felt there was something wrong with it…"  
  
"I knew you'd see things that weren't there. I'm only helping her through the transition."  
  
"Couldn't they find someone else to do it? Why did it have to be you?"  
  
"Piper…how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not in love with her anymore. I love you. Nothing's gonna change that."  
  
Leo tried to go to her, but Piper wasn't quite ready yet.  
  
"I need some time by myself, Leo."  
  
"Didn't you have enough? I've just been gone for a few hours. I was hoping that we could start those vacations like now."  
  
"And we shall…"  
  
Piper sighed before pursuing:  
  
"I'm sorry honey. Maybe I'm being a little too emotional right now, but…"  
  
"You do believe that I love you, don't you?"  
  
"Yes…Yes, of course I do. Just give me a little more time…"  
  
Leo frowned hesitantly.  
  
"Alright, then… I'll be downstairs…" he said, as he gave her one last longing look and went out of the room.  
  
Cole flashed in their room and didn't see Phoebe at first. He wondered for a moment, until he saw her coming in from the adjacent room. She held Jason and didn't seem to have noticed his return.  
  
"Phoebe."  
  
"Cole…" Phoebe said without looking up.  
  
Cole frowned at her lack of enthusiasm, but he dismissed it, as he felt like unloading about his visit to the Elders:  
  
"Those bloody ingrates. I did save those people and instead of being thankful about it, they went on and on about none intervention. Something about I wasn't supposed to save them…"  
  
Phoebe went to sit in an easy chair before she answered, almost distractedly:  
  
"You should've known. We've been faced with the same dilemma for years. Evil wasn't causing the accident."  
  
"Still, that was a good thing, wasn't it?" He exclaimed, as he started pacing the room, apparently oblivious to Phoebe's bad mood.  
  
"I just can't believe that I was supposed to let this happen. This is ridiculous."  
  
"Is it?"  
  
The pointed question stopped him short, as he turned to her askance:  
  
"Phoebe…You're not still upset about me using magic, are you? I mean, I get that they don't like it, but you?"  
  
"Cole…You promised me."  
  
Cole sighed impatiently, again ignoring the reproach.  
  
"Frankly, I'm getting very confused with what's right and what's not. To me, that was a good deed…"  
  
In the same manner, Phoebe ignored his complaint and pursued:  
  
"Cole, why did you do it? I feel like you did something in my back, and honestly, it doesn't feel too good right now."  
  
Cole gave her a quick glance, and answered even more briefly:  
  
"I was worried about your safety."  
  
"Why didn't you just tell me?"  
  
"What? Do I have to ask for your permission to use my powers now? Are you still worried about me going bad? I thought we were beyond that."  
  
Phoebe looked up in surprise at how upset he got.  
  
"No! You know that's not what I meant."  
  
"You know what? I've had enough reproaches for one day. I'll have a drink downstairs."  
  
Cole was out of the room before Phoebe could say another word. Stunned by his outburst, she watched the door curiously.  
  
"What's with you dad," she said aloud, while looking down at her son with a puzzled expression.  
  
Cole strolled into the bar still very upset, and when he spotted Leo nursing a drink of his own, he went to sit by him without a word.  
  
Leo barely looked up, but Cole wasn't in the mood to inquire about his brother in law's problems anyway. Instead, he signalled the bartender impatiently and ordered a drink for himself. The two men kept to themselves for a long moment before Leo broke the silence.  
  
"You're not still upset about the Elders, are you?"  
  
Cole barely glanced at Leo, and then he returned his attention to the drink.  
  
"Why shouldn't I be?"  
  
"You should simply know better, Cole."  
  
"Hey, you were there," Cole spat, suddenly more animated, "what they said wasn't right at all. How did they expect me to feel bad about saving her?"  
  
"They don't, Cole. They just expect you to understand the rules as they are. Still, you did get what you wanted, didn't you?"  
  
"At what price! And don't try to tell me that you agreed with what they said either. It concerned Piper too."  
  
"But you'll respect the terms, won't you?"  
  
Leo was watching Cole expectantly, but his answer wasn't forthcoming.  
  
"Hey, don't make me regret my promise already!"  
  
Cole still took a long sip of the drink before answering:  
  
"I won't…" he trailed then, stifling an angry sigh.  
  
"Why do I have the feeling I'm going to regret this anyway?"  
  
Cole glared at him but didn't comment. Then, he changed attitude suddenly.  
  
"Hey, I know why I'm here… why are you?"  
  
"No reason…" Leo answered too quickly before returning to the contemplation of his own drink.  
  
"Hum…I'd have thought that you'd be more eager to spend time with your wife. Particularly considering…"  
  
"Where's Phoebe," Leo interrupted.  
  
"Touchy," Cole commented with the beginning of a mocking smile.  
  
"You haven't answered my question either."  
  
"Well, if you must know, she's upstairs with our son…" Cole answered uncompromisingly.  
  
"I thought you were also eager to come back…"  
  
"Let's drop it?" Cole replied, as his smile vanished.  
  
They stayed silent for another length of time. Then, out of the blue, Cole exclaimed:  
  
"Why is she still upset?"  
  
Leo was startled and glanced at him, wondering if he was talking about Phoebe or Piper.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I mean, it wasn't that bad!"  
  
"Phoebe's still upset about your using magic, I see."  
  
"Yeah," Cole answered dejectedly.  
  
"Maybe, she senses like I do that there was something more to it than just being worried about her safety."  
  
"What else could it have been," Cole questioned irritably.  
  
"Only you can answer that."  
  
"Hum… Those vacations were such a great idea," Cole added sarcastically, rather than addressing Leo's comment.  
  
"Yeah," Leo answered in the same vein.  
  
"Maybe…"Cole started but stopped himself, as if unsure that he really wanted to pursue.  
  
"What?" Leo questioned distractedly, still wondering if Piper would get over this thing soon.  
  
"Maybe, we just need to start fresh? What do you think?"  
  
"I wonder… But really Cole, just be honest with Phoebe and yourself. I think that it'd suffice."  
  
"I told you there was nothing else to it," Cole replied testily.  
  
"Alright, if you say so… Although, your idea has some merit."  
  
"It does?"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
Phoebe answered the knock almost immediately, hoping that it would be Cole having forgotten his keys. Instead, she found a smiling Paige, carrying a hand bag.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"That's the way you greet your saviour?"  
  
"What are you talking about," Phoebe questioned with a hint of suspicion even as a weak smile formed on her lips at the melodramatic question.  
  
"Well nothing so dramatic," Paige said, as she entered the room without invitation. "Cole asked me to give you a message and to baby-sit for a while…"  
  
"He did?" Phoebe questioned, as the smile waned.  
  
"Well yeah. Seems he wanted to have a talk and he asked me to send you to the lobby."  
  
"Are you sure you're fine with baby-sitting?" Phoebe asked distractedly, as puzzlement mixed in with a little excitement. She had seriously worried about Cole's attitude since he left, so this seemed like an olive branch to her.  
  
"Yeah, I'm cool with it. Besides, Cole promised to spring for a grand tour of Paris tomorrow."  
  
"Really?" Phoebe questioned in surprise.  
  
Paige put the bag near the connecting door before turning an inquiring glance of her own toward her sister:  
  
"You're having problems? With Cole, I mean."  
  
"Nothing serious," Phoebe answered without looking at her.  
  
Paige insisted:  
  
"Because really, he's not usually that generous…"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Oh alright… So you're going?"  
  
"Did he tell you where we were going? I don't even know what to wear…"  
  
"He didn't really say…"  
  
Phoebe still went to the mirror and quickly tossed her hair in a bun. She was a little upset that he didn't give her any warning, but at the same time she was now eager to know what it was about.  
  
"Oh come on," Paige said with a smile, "I'm sure that he's impatient now. Scoot!"  
  
Phoebe hesitated a moment longer:  
  
"You're sure it's ok with you?"  
  
"Of course, I'm still Jason's aunty, aren't I? Go, have fun…"  
  
Phoebe smiled but still said:  
  
"Don't hesitate to call for Leo if you have any problem. He'll find us."  
  
"Come on now. Jason and I'll be just fine." Paige gently took Phoebe's arm and accompanied her to the door.  
  
"Don't worry about a thing besides having some fun. We're in Paris after all!"  
  
"Yeah! And thank you!" Phoebe answered lightly before going out.  
  
Piper sat at the dressing table, no closer to feel more secure. She had been sitting there for a while already, telling herself over and over how stupid she was for doubting Leo. Again, she reflected that her pregnancy must be rendering her more emotional than usual. In fact, it reminded her of a time, not so long ago, where she wasn't as secure about anything. All those years it had taken her to build this confidence, was it all for nothing? Was she crumbling because of one person? She shrugged unhappily for the umpteenth time. Yet, she wasn't able to shrug away the malaise itself. She was so absorbed in her musing that she didn't hear the door opening. She then got startled when a little white flag was waved and reflected in the mirror.  
  
"What the heck?" She exclaimed as she turned to find her husband smiling sheepishly, still waving the flag loosely.  
  
"Are we on speaking terms yet?"  
  
"Leo! You know that I didn't mean…"  
  
"Well, actually I don't know that. But if you'll give me a chance, maybe I can prove to you that you're the only one for me?"  
  
A vague smile formed on Piper's lips as she waited for him to continue.  
  
Instead, he went back toward the door and opened it to let in a boy in a white uniform pushing a cart with shiny plates. The boy went back out and came back with a rolling table already prepared with candles and delicate china. After Leo thanked him and let him out, he turned to Piper with a wide smile:  
  
"How about a romantic dinner, for starter?"  
  
"Leo? How did you?"  
  
"Don't worry, there was no magic involved." Leo said quickly, while silently thanking Cole…  
  
Leo lit up the candles and went to turn down the lights.  
  
"Shall we," he asked as he went to her and pulled her up gently.  
  
"Leo, I'm so sorry," Piper began, contrite.  
  
"Shhhhhh, there's nothing to be sorry about. Let's start fresh, what do you say?"  
  
"I say, I'm starving," Piper replied, as her smile brightened. Before going to sit at the dinner table however, she lifted herself up to his face and kissed him gently.  
  
"I love you, you know that?"  
  
"I love you too, and I'll never stop, Piper," he answered as he pulled her closer and kissed her passionately.  
  
In the back of Piper's mind, the nagging feeling still resided, but she pushed it resolutely away to embrace this moment of joy.  
  
Phoebe was looking around the lobby curiously, but she could find no trace of her husband. She was about to go check the bar, when something made her look outside the doors. There, she saw a horse and carriage and Cole waiting beside it. She quickly went toward him then, but still hesitated as she got closer.  
  
"Wow," she said uncertainly. "What is that?"  
  
"Hey, I thought it was pretty obvious. Are you in the mood for a ride?"  
  
She couldn't help a smile as he watched her expectantly.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"It's a surprise," he replied with an enigmatic smile of his own.  
  
He opened the door to the carriage and stood aside, ostensibly inviting her in. Phoebe found it very amusing at the same time as romantic.  
  
Yet, she didn't make a move toward him, and he finally asked somewhat apprehensively:  
  
"Are you coming?"  
  
"Huh, yeah," she replied as she finally climbed into the vehicle. After he signalled to the driver, he came to sit by her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"You should've told me we were going out…I'd have changed…"  
  
"You're beautiful just as you are, baby."  
  
She smiled happily as he kissed her lightly. The carriage started down the street at a slow pace, and Phoebe was tempted to put aside her grievance with Cole in the face of this very romantic setting. Yet, she felt that if they didn't clear the air now, she couldn't enjoy herself completely.  
  
Even as he watched her, the smile vanished from her lips and he knew what was coming before she said a word. Before she could voice her reproaches again, he uttered:  
  
"I'm sorry, Phoebe…"  
  
"You don't even know what I was gonna say."  
  
"I understand now that I shouldn't have left like this. I don't know what got into me…"  
  
"That's exactly what I'd like to understand myself, Cole. Are you ready to answer my question now?"  
  
Cole grimaced unhappily at this.  
  
"I thought I'd already done that."  
  
"Cole, I know there's more to it than what you told me. I can sense it."  
  
Cole looked away uncomfortably.  
  
"There's nothing more," he said again, although with less conviction than earlier.  
  
"Cole, please!"  
  
He sighed, still not looking at her.  
  
"Alright, well maybe there was something else…"  
  
"I'm waiting…"  
  
He sighed anew before going on:  
  
"Ok well, if it's true that I was worried about your safety, I was also very uncomfortable with someone else being in command…"  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked then.  
  
"I mean, I don't like to relinquish control over my life to someone else, let alone strangers…"  
  
"But Cole, those guys knew what they were doing…"  
  
"Did they? You know what this whitelighter told us…"  
  
"But you didn't know that when you used your magic…"  
  
He kept silent, unwilling to continue this conversation.  
  
"Cole," Phoebe questioned again.  
  
"Are you still mad?"  
  
Phoebe sighed in turn.  
  
"I'm not mad…I just thought we were over this secret thing. I believed you knew you could tell me anything."  
  
"You mean you're not upset about it?" He said turning to her dubiously.  
  
"I am, a little. But not for the reason you think. Cole, I want you to tell me these things. We're a couple now, aren't we? We're supposed to tell each other everything…"  
  
Cole still seemed uncomfortable, but Phoebe thought that it was because of his admission. Indeed, he pursued:  
  
"I guess so… you probably think that it's ridiculous…"  
  
"I mostly think you're a control freak," Phoebe said with a giggle.  
  
Cole moved back and seemed slightly upset at her comment. However, Phoebe was now smiling brightly.  
  
"That's ok though… because you're my control freak and I can live with that."  
  
"You can?" He asked, forgetting his urge to protest as a hesitant smile formed on his lips.  
  
Phoebe grabbed his jacket and pulled him to her playfully.  
  
"Yeah! Just as long as you don't run out on me again…"  
  
"I won't do that again, I promise," he said as he bent forward, intent on kissing her.  
  
However, he stopped only a few inches from her lips as she mumbled dubiously:  
  
"Hum…"  
  
"Oh alright, I can promise you that I won't do it tonight."  
  
"Honesty… now that's more like it," she chuckled. Then she offered her lips without further protestation. They were still in this embrace when the carriage stopped. Phoebe pulled slightly away to ask:  
  
"Are we here?"  
  
"Yes, look…"  
  
She turned around and was astonished at what she saw. The sign over the bistro's door said "Le Bistro de Jouvence". She looked back at Cole with a stunned expression.  
  
"Wow, somehow I didn't think this place really existed…"  
  
"I was a little surprised as well. It changed a lot from what we've seen, but it's still the same bistro."  
  
Cole noticed her hesitation and began to wonder if it had been such a good idea after all.  
  
"Is that ok? I mean…"  
  
"It's more than ok," Phoebe said softly.  
  
He breathed easier somewhat.  
  
"Shall we?"  
  
"What are we waiting for," she asked with a smile.  
  
As they were making their way toward the bistro, a couple was observing them from the shadows. A passing car's headlights illuminated Amelia and Richard's ghostly, but smiling faces, as they watched Phoebe and Cole disappearing inside the establishment.  
  
"How romantic," Amelia uttered, as the light receded.  
  
"Wanna go in?" Richard asked then.  
  
"Thought you'd never ask," she answered sweetly. The two ghostly figures made their way toward the doors in turn. As they were going through them, they were smiling at each other while their essence slowly dissipated. 


End file.
